Beagle survives jump from bridge

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BURLINGTON, N.J., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A New Jersey couple said their pet beagle was not seriously injured when she got loose and jumped off a bridge, falling about 70 feet to the water below.

Alexis and Robert Lorenz said Robert was walking the 7-year-old dog, Brandi, on the Burlington Riverfront Promenade along with their other beagle around 8 p.m. Friday night when Brandi got loose, The (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post reported Thursday.

Robert returned home about an hour after he left and brought Alexis back to the scene with him to help search for Brandi.

The couple said they had been searching for a few hours when they discovered a Burlington County Bridge police officer had seen the dog jump from the Burlington-Bristol Bridge when other motorists attempted to grab her.

"She went in," Officer Rob Bittner said. "We immediately started looking over into the water. She was swimming and made it to the shoreline."

Lorenz said she went home to change around midnight and discovered the dog as soon as she returned to the area where Brandi was last spotted.

"I clipped the leash and that was it," she said. "I couldn't believe it. It was a miracle."

Lorenz took Brandi to be checked out by a veterinarian the next day. The vet said Brandi suffered some bruising, but was lucky to have not broken any bones.