Mary Jo kept her eye trained on the pup and breathed a sigh of relief when Brian jumped into the water and managed to pull him to safety. She called to her husband, who took off across the marina. “I thought the poor thing must have fallen into the water and couldn’t get out,” she tells Woman’s World. Scanning the water, Mary Jo spotted little Tater Tot. Where are you? Tater Tot’s eyes searched the water for Tom, as he frantically swam in circles.Īcross the marina, cardiac nurse Mary Jo Lender and her husband, Brian, had just docked after a day of sailing and were tying off their boat when Mary Jo heard splashing. But he couldn’t…wouldn’t… leave his grandpa. The shore was 50 feet away and thanks to Tater Tot’s swimming lessons, he could have made it that far. Tom lost his footing, struck his head, twice, against a nearby boat and the 76-year-old Mars, Pennsylvania, plummeted into the 20-foot deep basin along with his faithful furry friend.īobbing to the surface, Tater Tot looked left, then right, but the 15-year-old pup didn’t see his best pal.
At one point, Tom took Tater Tot to shore for a walk and as the pair padded back along the floating dock toward their boat, suddenly, a large boat passed going way too fast and its powerful wake slammed against the dock.
One summer afternoon in 2021, Tom and his wife, Tonia, had spent the day on the houseboat. Tom Kissell with his buddy Tater Tot Tom Kissell Tater Tot the 3 legged dog and a true hero
