Hands onshore waved toward open water as Captain Bill Tolstead and his crew abandoned their fishing outing near Codfish Park. Somewhere beyond the beach, a golden retriever had been carried into the water, and the people aboard the nearby boat had become the dog’s best chance of getting back.
The rescue began around 12:50 p.m., when authorities learned that a dog was in trouble off Codfish Park on Nantucket’s east end. The Nantucket Police Department sent a crew to assess the situation while the harbormaster’s office started assembling another response.
That effort included a kayak, rescue board, two lifeguards and retrieval equipment, according to local coverage of the Harbormaster’s Office account. But officials also recognized that a boat already near the dog could potentially reach the animal sooner than responders launching from shore.
Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey contacted charter boat captain and Select Board member Bob DeCosta to ask whether fishermen in the area could assist. DeCosta called Corey Gammill, who then reached Tolstead and explained that a dog needed help.
That chain of communication moved rapidly: from dispatch to police and the harbormaster’s office, then through members of Nantucket’s fishing community to a captain already on the water. Each person had a narrow but consequential role. Officials coordinated the response, local maritime contacts found an available crew, and people watching from land helped direct the search.
“Without hesitation, Captain Bill and his crew diverted from fishing and began searching for the dog,” Lucey said. “They spotted people on the beach waving them toward the area, located the dog, and were able to safely get the dog aboard and bring it back to shore.”
The beachgoers’ signals mattered because the dog had been carried away from the park, leaving those on land unable to reach it directly. Tolstead and his crew followed their guidance, found the golden retriever in the water and brought the dog safely onto the boat.
A rescue without another emergency
The response also illustrates why coordination is important when an animal is in danger along a coast. The instinct to enter the water can expose a would-be rescuer to the same conditions that carried the animal away.
Official coastal safety guidance from HM Coastguard warns people not to put themselves or others at risk while attempting to save an animal. Its advice is to alert emergency services so trained and properly equipped responders can take over. Emergency numbers and responsible agencies vary by location, but the central principle is straightforward: call for help rather than creating a second person in danger.
At Codfish Park, the people involved contributed without crowding into the water. Those ashore maintained sight of the search area and signaled to the boat. Officials activated personnel and equipment. Maritime contacts found fishermen close enough to change course. Tolstead’s crew then carried out the recovery from its boat.
No public details identify the golden retriever or its owner. It is also unknown how long the dog remained in the water, whether the animal was injured or whether veterinary care was needed afterward. What is known is that the crew recovered the dog alive and transported it back to shore.
Lucey praised DeCosta, Gammill, Tolstead and Tolstead’s crew for setting aside what they were doing. The quick response, teamwork, and willingness to drop everything to help truly made the difference, she said.
The fishing outing could wait. Onshore, the waving hands finally had a boat to guide, and the golden retriever had a ride back to land.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
