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Bingo the bitzer dog defied the odds and survived swimming through freezing waters and a night in the open before being found on Waiheke Island with a wag in his tail last night.
Thirteen-year-old Bingo was being looked after by a dog-sitter, Mark Brown, when he leapt off a boat on Wednesday, one nautical mile offshore from Waiheke Island.
It is believed he may have jumped off to chase dolphins.
The Coastguard was notified and immediately alerted all boats in the area to keep an eye out for the small brown dog.
Coastguard spokesman Jo Ottey said they "didn't hold much hope" for Bingo because of the very cold water temperature and choppy conditions.
"We rang heaps of people because it's a pretty awful thing to have happen and it wasn't his dog, so it made it even worse."
But Bingo did survive the sea and dragged himself up to the Man O War Vineyard where he collapsed at the door of the caretakers' house on the north east side of the island.
Vineyard owner Odette Brown said caretakers heard a whimper at the back door and found Bingo "cold and a bit quivery, but in pretty good shape considering".
Miss Brown said when the dog-sitter came to pick Bingo up this morning he got a new lease of life and was jumping all over the place.
"He was an extremely lucky dog," she said.
Bingo's owner is in Canada for a month and the incident happened on day four.
He said the activities of the last few days had caught up with Bingo, who was "a bit traumatised" since returning home.
"He didn't even want to get out of the car so I just carried him in and he's in bed now -- he's not going to move again I don't think."
- NZPA
