Rutland Herald
Dog rescued after sending car into pond
By Emily Cutts
staff writer | June 05,2015
 

Lucy, an English bulldog, is in fine condition and spirits Thursday after the car she was in rolled into a pond.
 
KILLINGTON — Even in dog years, Lucy was too young to drive.

Yet somehow a car the 2-year-old English bulldog was sitting in ended up in the pond behind the Killington Grand Resort Hotel on Thursday morning.

Police said Lucy may have bumped the car’s standard-transmission stick into neutral, which allowed the vehicle to roll toward the body of water.

Lucy, who works as a therapy dog, declined to comment on exactly how the Volkswagen Jetta wagon ended up in the pond.

The last thing Lucy’s owner, Nick Hayer, knew was that his car was parked against the building while he was at the hotel for a conference.

Lucy had been put in the front passenger seat shortly before the incident. “I was in the building and people came in and said my car was in the lake,” said Hayer, a Warren resident.

Mark Venter, a hotel employee, said he saw Hayer put Lucy in the car while he was mowing the lawn by the pool. When he went to return the mower to the shed he saw the car had gone into the pond.

“It was very quiet,” Venter said of the incident.

Venter jumped into the pond and reached through an open window and unlocked the vehicle door to get Lucy out.

“I think anybody would have done that. That’s the culture in this state. People protect one another,” Venter said. “It’s man’s best friend. I’m just glad the dog’s OK.”

Wearing her pink bandana, Lucy was in good spirits after the incident, showing off her trick of playing dead.

Vermont State Police were called to the hotel around 11:30 a.m.

“It’s not a traffic crash,” Sgt. Todd Wilkins said. “They’ll pull it out and this gentleman will have to deal with the insurance company.”

As for whether Lucy will get in trouble when she gets home?

“Maybe from my wife,” Hayer said. “I’m very easy on her.”

“You can’t be mad at Lucy, she’s too cute,” the trooper added.

emily.cutts