Saved by Sugar Cane

Retriever lives up to his name by rescuing girl at Portage Quarry
Photos by Michael Lehmkuhle/Sentinel-Tribune
Sentinel Staff Photographer

A local girl has a new best friend after being pulled from deep water by a big-hearted Labrador retriever.

Seven-year-old Sara Boise, of Bowling Green, was swimming with her sister Kayla, 9, and another girl at nearby Portage Quarry Recreation Club last weekend, on Saturday, when she found herself in over her head — literally.

Without prompting, a yellow Labrador retriever named Sugar Cane jumped into the water and helped the little girl make it back to safe and shallow waters.

"Sugar jumped in and swam out to her," said Stacy Heilman, Sara's older half sister who also works at the recreation club. "Sara grabbed (Sugar Cane's) collar and the dog pulled her to the shallow beach area where she could touch bottom."

She said Sara, who just finished the first grade at Kenwood Elementary School, now has a new best friend.

"Sugar must have sensed something was wrong," she said. "She just jumped in to help her."

Recreation club owner Jeff Rice was a bit skeptical when first hearing about his dog's plucky plunge to save Sara.
"The kids came up and were saying 'Sugar Cane saved Sara from the water,'" Rice said this week. "I thought it was a fluke or some thing, that maybe they were just playing in the water. But then some adults confirmed it, so apparently it's true."

He said Sugar Cane is only 10 months old, the latest in a line of Labradors that have graced the quarry grounds over the years.

Rice purchased the water dog from East Hill Labradors in Howell, Mich.

Labradors are known for their skill and strength in the water, making them a favorite among hunters. Historically, they also were used as fishermen's assistants.

"She's very powerful in the water," Rice said of his newest four-legged lifeguard."