Off-duty Jacksonville officer treks through waist-deep mud, water to rescue dog

A Jacksonville officer is being applauded after he trekked through waist-deep mud and water to rescue a dog from a retention pond.

Officer Wentz was not on duty when he heard a knock on his door.

A group of people in his Jacksonville neighborhood told him about a dog that was stuck in a retention pond at the end of a dead end street.

Neighbors said they called animal control and the non-emergency number with no help so decided to knock on Wentz's door.

The dog, Farley, was stuck in water, mud, muck and vegetation.

Wentz went into waist-deep water, battling the same mud and muck Farley was stuck in.

He got Farley out of the muck and the pup's owners were contacted via a phone number on Farley's collar.

The owners were very happy to be reunited with Farley, who they said had traveled several miles from home.