{"id":6511,"date":"2025-06-22T23:19:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T23:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/6511\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T23:19:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T23:19:25","slug":"chili-the-dog-survives-after-10-days-lost-is-rescued-from-river-by-kayakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/6511\/","title":{"rendered":"Chili the Dog Survives After 10 Days Lost, is Rescued from River by Kayakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, a tiny, shivering dog was pulled from the Hudson River by a group of kayakers near Pier 26. He was barely paddling, coated in oil, visibly exhausted \u2014 but alive. The rescue has been dubbed \u201ca second Miracle on the Hudson\u201d by neighbors, a reference to the dramatic 2009 plane landing<\/a> just a few miles north on the same river. This time, the survivor was a scrappy eight-month-old Chihuahua mix named Chili.<\/p>\n

\"ChiliChilli back home with Gabby Porter in Hell\u2019s Kitchen on Sunday. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t understand how he made it,\u201d said Gabby Porter, who lives with her partner Gianni Calistro near Hudson Yards in Hell\u2019s Kitchen. \u201cHe\u2019s never even been in the water, not even for a swim. Only baths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chili had been missing for 10 days after slipping out of his harness in the West Village. \u201cWe were just leaving dinner at M\u00e9m\u00e9 with a friend and her golden retriever,\u201d Gabby recalled, speaking at the couple\u2019s walk-up apartment where Chili now wanders around happily, attentive but still skinny. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to say goodbye. He started backing up and wriggled right out of his harness. One second he was there, the next he was bolting across Hudson Street.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby chased him as far as she could. \u201cA taxi pulled up and may have lightly hit him \u2014 but the noise just spooked him more. He ran so fast, we lost him almost immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nChili with one of his rescuers at the Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26 and with Gianni. Photos supplied<\/p>\n

That night, the couple searched until 2am. The following morning, they printed 200 flyers and started canvassing the neighborhood. \u201cWe went hard. Staples as soon as it opened. Posters everywhere \u2014 especially along the Hudson River Park. We were just hoping someone would spot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

By day two, they had tracked down footage from security cameras on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park, showing Chili darting onto the pier around 11:30pm on the night he went missing. \u201cIt was a relief to know he was alive,\u201d Gabby said. \u201cBut it was also torture. Every time we went to the pier \u2014 four days in a row \u2014 we just cried. It was traumatizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The surveillance showed Chili pacing, scared and alone. No one ever saw him leave.<\/p>\n

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\nThe couple put up posters all along the West Side, appealing for help with finding Chili . Photos supplied<\/p>\n

Over the next week, the couple tried everything. They upgraded their flyers with waterproof sleeves. They promoted posts on social media. Gabby posted tearful TikToks<\/a>, one of which reached over 350,000 views. Friends and strangers alike shared the word. \u201cThe community support was overwhelming,\u201d she said. \u201cComplete strangers texted, called, searched different neighborhoods just to look out for Chili. It meant everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came the hoaxes. \u201cI got 10 or more prank calls \u2014 people barking, saying horrible things, pretending they\u2019d eaten him,\u201d Gabby said. \u201cIt was beyond cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n

But then, just before noon on Saturday, her phone rang again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis guy says, \u2018I found your dog in the river,\u2019 and I thought, please not another prank. Then he sent a photo. It was Chili. Wet, scrawny, covered in black oil. But alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kayaker \u2014 who gave his name as Joe \u2014 was paddling near the boundary markers off Pier 26 when he spotted something bobbing in the water. \u201cHe thought it was a trick of the light,\u201d Gabby said. \u201cHis friend didn\u2019t believe him at first. But he paddled over, and sure enough, it was a tiny dog trying to stay afloat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI jumped into an Uber so fast, but the traffic was crawling. It felt like forever,\u201d Gabby recalled. \u201cWhen we finally got there, Chili was in shock \u2014 but he recognized us. He gave us a few licks. He was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gianni captured the reunion on video \u2014 a moment of tearful relief after 10 nights of fear and uncertainty. \u201cWe\u2019ve only had him six months,\u201d said Gabby. \u201cHe\u2019s our baby. We couldn\u2019t imagine losing him.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Chili was first spotted in the Hudson, Sarah, a patrol volunteer with the Downtown Boathouse<\/a>, was flagged down in the northwest corner of the embayment. With help from other nearby kayakers \u2014 Sarah managed to get the exhausted, oil-covered dog into her boat. \u201cHe seemed very tired, scared and fatigued,\u201d Martin Sweeney, a member of the board of directors for the all volunteer-staffed free kayaking program told us. It was a true group effort, with about half a dozen people working together to get Chili to safety. Joe recognized him from the missing posters, and within minutes, he was on the phone with Gabby. \u201cEveryone was just happy to get him out safely,\u201d said Martin. \u201cAnd reconnecting him with his owner so quickly was a great bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the vet, Chili was examined and given bloodwork. \u201cHe was malnourished, with cuts on his paws and oil matted into his fur. We tried Dawn soap to get it out, but ended up just trimming it away. His pads were torn up, and he had some abrasions, but the vet was shocked at how good his overall condition was.\u201d<\/p>\n

After days without food, Chili is getting small meals throughout the day so his body can adjust to eating again. \u201cHe\u2019s already a slim guy, but now he\u2019s like a little skeleton,\u201d Gabby said. \u201cWe\u2019re taking it slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for what Chili endured for those 10 days, no one knows. \u201cWe still don\u2019t know how he got into the water \u2014 or how long he was there. He might\u2019ve been hiding under the pier, living off scraps. It\u2019s all a mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple is ordering a new triple-strap harness and a GPS collar before taking Chili out for walks again. \u201cWe\u2019re not taking any chances,\u201d Gabby said. \u201cHe\u2019s staying right by our side.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kayakers who saved him have asked to stay out of the spotlight, but Gabby hopes to meet up with Joe soon. \u201cHe\u2019s a hero. I want to take him out for dinner. Chili will be there too \u2014 on much better terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GabbyChili and Gabby relax at home on Sunday after 10 days apart and a dramatic rescue. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the ordeal, Gabby gets emotional. \u201cThere were so many points we could have lost hope. But it was the kindness of strangers \u2014 people reposting, calling, checking in \u2014 that kept us going.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added later: \u201cI also forgot to mention all of the amazing New Yorkers that would text and call me and try to give me tips and tell me that they were searching around the West Village or a different neighborhood just to look out for Chili. Complete strangers, but they wanted to help in any way they could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Chili is curled up on the couch in their Hell\u2019s Kitchen apartment, finally getting some well-earned rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe slept like a rock last night,\u201d Gabby said with a laugh. \u201cUnder the covers, above the covers \u2014 he\u2019s always moving. But he\u2019s home. He\u2019s safe. That\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

* Additional reporting by Catie Savage.<\/p>\n