Bow-WOW! Dog’s surf-board rescue from lake makes judges proud

From the Associated Press comes a story about a Lake Michigan surfer, Matt Smolenski, who rescued a drowning dog after a large wave swept the poor pooch from the Grand Haven pier.

An off-duty cop saw the whole thing. He said Smolenski put the dog on his surfboard and braved big waves and a strong current to get him and the dog to shore.

The rescuer's last name should be a familiar one to the bench and bar. He's the second cousin of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Michael R. Smolenski and the Hon. Sara J. Smolenski, chief judge of Kent County’s 63rd District Court, who the AP quotes as saying of Matt, “He’s a great kid and it certainly sounds like something he would do.”