Joe Sarno is a cop from Long Island, New York. On Saturday, December 20, 2008, while en-route to a hunting trip, Sarno found an elderly man who was drowning in an icy marsh and suffering from hypothermia. Sarno pulled the man from the marsh to safety and waited with him until an ambulance could arrive. After it was all said and done, Sarno continued on his hunting trip with his chocolate Labrador.Daily News: Long Island cop saves drowning man... (December 22, 2008)

80 year old Fred Hart of Mastic, New York, had wandered outside sometime on Friday, December 19th. During the late afternoon a snowstorm blew in and Hart got lost in the storm. It was around noon on Saturday, December 20th, when Sarno and his dog Otter spotted Hart in the marsh. Hart was waist deep in the mud and unresponsive. Sarno alerted a nearby farm hand to call 911 and proceeded to pull Hart out of the marsh. He waited with him until an ambulance arrived. Hart was taken to the hospital and was listed in good condition the following day. He did not remember how he got into the marsh.Daily News: Long Island cop saves drowning man... (December 22, 2008) Newsday.com: On The Island (December 22, 2008)