July 17 (UPI) -- A New York state man captured video of his dog swimming out into the Long Island Sound to drag a struggling baby deer to safety.

Mark Freeley said he was walking Sunday morning with his golden retriever, Storm, and his other dog, Sara, when Storm ran out into the water and started swimming toward something.


Freeley's video, posted to YouTube, shows Storm drag a deer fawn that had been struggling to swim back to shore.

"Storm just plunged into the water and started swimming out to the fawn, grabbed it by the neck, and started swimming to shore," Freeley told CBS New York.

Freeley said Storm plopped down next to the baby deer once they reached shore.

"And then he started nudging it, and started pulling it to make sure she was gonna be OK I guess," Freeley said.

Freeley called in rescuers and waited with the fawn on the beach, but he said the deer ran back into the water as soon as the rescuers arrived.

Freeley and Frank Floridia of Strong Island Rescue waded out into the water to get a lasso around the deer.

Floridia said his partner, Erica Kutzing, ran about a mile on the beach to help with the rescue.

"I don't think I could've done it without the help of my partner. i was exhausted at the point my knee blew out, and I collapsed on the beach," he said.

Kutzing carried the deer to the rescue van and it was transported to a local animal rescue, where it is recovering from some ticks and an eye injury.