Home > Accident > Couple Drown And Their Teen Son Missing After Trying To Save Dog

Couple Drown And Their Teen Son Missing After Trying To Save Dog

November 26, 2012 at 10:18 am by Morbid

Big Lagoon, CA – A couple have drowned and their 16-year-old son is missing after all three went into the ocean to try and save the family dog.

The family were at Big Lagoon beach Saturday afternoon when their dog got stuck in the ocean after chasing a thrown stick. The teen out went into the eight to ten foot waves in order to rescue the dog, followed by the teen’s father.

The teen was able to make it back to the beach on his own, but once out of the water he realized his father was still stuck out in the ocean. This prompted him and his mother to go back out into the water to help him, leading to all three to getting swept out.

While this was happening, the couple’s daughter called 911. A park ranger made it to the beach after running 1/2 a mile to get there because his vehicle was unable to navigate the terrain. He was not able to go out and help the family because of the high surf.

The mother’s body was retrieved by rescuers, while her husband’s body eventually washed up on shore. The U.S. Coast Guard had helicopters out looking for the teen, but had to call off the search that evening due to heavy coastal fog. As of today, the teen has still not been found.

The names of the family are not being released until they can contact their family members. The dog came out of the water on its own.

I have come to grips that people treat their pets like humans, so its not surprising to me when I see people pushing dogs around in baby strollers while dressed in funny outfits, or jumping into the ocean to save them. But listen, dogs are animals and excellent swimmers. They usually don’t need your help when it comes to fighting 8 to 10 foot waves.

Tags: Big Lagoon, California, Crime, dog, Drowning

60 Comments

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Sam

Jeesus. How devastating for the girl left behind. She’s going to be forever wondering if she could have saved them, and perhaps even wishing she’d jumped in as well.
Sam

Side note – i bet that dog is more than a little confused right about now. “I thought we were playing fetch? When did we start this game of hide-and-seek?”
newstarshipsmell

At least she still has her dog.
EveryVillainIsLemons

It’s sad that they were so focused on saving the dog that they didn’t take basic ocean safety into consideration. The Pacific is notorious for its rip currents, and it’s important to know how to escape a rip current if one is going to be swimming in any sort of large body of water that is affected by tides.

As Morbid said, dogs are usually really good swimmers, and it sounds like this one knew exactly what to do to get out of the rip current and get back to shore. It’s a real shame that his humans didn’t.
Sam

What if the girl was the one who threw the stick in the first place? What if she was trying to get rid of the dog?
FullAutoManlover

Your last question is magical.
JGo555

Ok, this is ONE instance when owning a cat would be a “good”/cheap idea.
tkaz

Do we know how old the daughter is? How devastating.
We vacation in southern California often & I sit on the beach & watch & pray my kids come out alive. I’m such a wimp.
tkaz

The things you say become my favorite things.
Wolf_of_Mars

Learn not to drown if caught in a rip current. Don’t swim against, or, with the current; as it can sweep you out to sea further than you may be able to swim back. ALWAYS swim perpendicularly to the flow…
newstarshipsmell

Or be like me and never get into the water.
Wolf_of_Mars

No water, huh? Whew! I’ll bet things are getting a bit ripe in the Tarsh household…
salad

everything about sammy is magical!
Abroad

“The dog came out of the water on its own.”
Unfortunately, this is classic…..
OutOfBubbleGum

Not mentioned in the story, but equally important, the name of the stick is being withheld until its family
members can be notified.

Witnesses reported that the stick appeared to be a strong swimmer. and was not having trouble. They
didn’t understand the drowned family’s reasoning for sending in the dog, the boy, the father, and the mother and boy to save the stick.

“Members of the stick family do this thing all the time.” said Mr. Driftwood, another witness at the
scene.
Snickering x Hydra

Ocean – 3
Humans – 0

Ocean wins again.
Andyman

I wonder if he still had the stick? Ironically I actually got a doggie yesterday. Isn’t she cute?
Andyman

Meh. Cats aren’t dogs… Not by a long shot.
Wolf_of_Mars

Boy, would you be in for a surprise here. We have both dogs, and a cat; and the cat beats up on the big chow/shar-pei mix. The cat just refuses to kiss ass. Oh, and we have no squirrels, or any other vermin, on our property anymore…
Andyman

I had an ex with a chow mix who was rather unpredictable and would snap pretty easily. I wouldn’t trust a chow near my 5 year old.
newstarshipsmell

Their names have been released:
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the names of the family that drowned at Big Lagoon Saturday. They are Freshwater residents: Mary Scott and Howard Kuljian. Their 16-year old son, Gregory Kuljian is still missing.
http://kiem-tv.com/?q=node/4280
http://www.truecrimereport.com CallMeMister

I see we share the same morbid sense of humor. I thought the same exact thing while reading Sam’s comment.

“In further news, the daughter is a cat person”
http://www.truecrimereport.com CallMeMister

Welp she failed miserably if that’s the case!
Sam

Charmer!
Wolf_of_Mars

Just like I won’t trust a pit bull near any living creature.
Andyman

Right. Those too. Lol.
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

Here’s more info. Names released, the daughter is 18, and the boy was there with his girlfriend. The story in this article has a slightly different chain of events, but still the same outcome. http://www.thesudburystar.com/2012/11/26/three-from-california-family-drown-in-ocean-trying-to-save-dog
MyHovercraftIsFullofEels

And this is exactly why we have had family lessons on what to do if someone falls into the water. DO NOT TRY TO SAVE THEM, get help immediately. We also just had the lesson on what to do if you fall and something goes inside of you. DO NOT PULL IT OUT! Get help immediately and tell everyone DO NOT PULL IT OUT and to call 911. (my kids are both under 8).
Heather_Habilatory

I suddenly got a dog named Thor yesterday. Damn owners abandoned him.
Andyman

Check this one out. My friend adopted a mastiff/something mix from the pound about 7 months ago. He is now 68 lbs and just saved them from a house fire. So they saved him and he saved them. Cool article if you want to check it out.
Http://tinyurl.com/tanksaves
Heather_Habilatory

Awesome!!
Heather_Habilatory

Too bad the humans didn’t know how to doggy-paddle.
wastintime

I loved reading that!
ging

or that guy was a fucking warrior and tried to save something that he held dear to him for most of his life. moronic bastards, he wouldve done it for anyone that he loved, including his dog, everyone on here is extremely insensitive idiots and of course if you see your son go into the ocean your going to run in there after him out of pure love not
http://www.facebook.com/gen.emolias Gen Emolias

out of pure love not? Lol I couldn’t help but remember Borat’s whole “black suit. not” skit. Hilarious.
Sam

You must be new here. Inappropriate humour is one of the best things here at DD. Handy tip for the future: take everything you read with a big grain of salt and presume everything is written in sarcasm font.
Heather_Habilatory

Not only is your sarcasm detector not functioning properly, but neither is your reading comprehension. Everyone has said that the boy shouldn’t have gone after the dog. Then this wouldn’t have happened.

And we are sensitive delicate fucking flowers.
come_and_see

Darwinism.
LeaveMeBe

I love the name Bagel.
LeaveMeBe

Thor is cool, too.
LeaveMeBe

Don’t tell that to my little grey cat. She thinks she’s a dog and will prove you wrong.
LeaveMeBe

Who the fuck you callin’ a flower?
cedric

I read the article and one question kept playing through my head over and over -
What kind of dog is it ?, What kind of dog is it ?, What kind of dog is it ? – I’m thinking it must have been a Hell Hound … not only cause everyone died,but because what other kind of dog do you have fetch a stick in ” eight to ten foot waves” ?
Andyman

Thanks. I know right. Beagle Bagel. I had a beagle hound mix before named Brinkley. But unfortunately none of our four legged kids live forever. But they are still so worth it.
cedric

You may be right in the old days when a cat wasn’t wanted they put in into a bag and tossed that into ” eight to ten foot waves” – leaving everyone else alive ….
Andyman

Can she fetch? Don’t throw her a stick in the Pacific if you know what’s good for her!
cedric

“the water temperature at between 55 and 57 degrees, so cold that hypothermia would rapidly set in” If I had been that dog and someone had thrown a stick into that cold mess of high waves I would have looked at them and barked ” You must be out of your ever loving mind.I don’t think that is going to happen.”
LeaveMeBe

Yes, she can. She’s smarticle.
newstarshipsmell

The son threw the stick ahead of them along the beach, not out to sea; as the dog was chasing it, a huge wave crashed against it and swept it out to sea. The son jumped in after the dog, the father jumped in after the son, and the mother was swept away by a subsequent wave on the beach, all while the sister and girlfriend watched in horror.
newstarshipsmell

Hey, Tulip.
newstarshipsmell

Or he was just a fucking moron whose reaction should’ve been to immediately move his remaining family to safety and get help, as the beach itself was obviously unsafe at that point; jumping into freezing water is just pointlessly upping the body count at that point. But since he was busy playing Hero, his wife got swept out to sea and drowned with him, leaving his daughter an orphan. Good job Dad. What insensitive idiots we are for looking at the tragedy with honesty.
Chinchillazilla

But the cat came back/the very next day/They thought he was a goner but/the cat came back cause he wouldn’t stay away
techsupp0rt

When people love someone, person or animal, they often do things that are irrational and counter to their personal wel-being. Of course they shouldn’t have swam out there. But when was the last time you thought totally straight when someone you loved was in immediate danger?
Heather_Habilatory

Didn’t name him. He came to us cool already haha
dd

I love you.
dd

I like how they just flat out say, “The dog came out on it’s own.” like a killjoy punchline and left it at that. It might have been possible though that the parents went after their son rather than their dog. Poor girl. That is just unfortunate for a normal family day to turn into a tragic event like this. I hope she has other family members and friends to help her through this.
LeaveMeBe

Meant to be, then.
newstarshipsmell

A fine idea.
Califboy

Almost everybody here knows not to go in or near the water up north this time of year, and I can always get a new dog, sorry dog……
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1616336316 Mary Mahi Mahi

You should stay of the ocean when 8 – 10 foot waves start hitting it’s not the time to throw a stick for a dog to fetch. In Hawaii especially in the winter time like now it’s real dangerous to swim so be cautious. Isn’t it ironic how the couple and their son trying to save their dog get swept out to sea
as the dog swims back like nothing happened? Where’s my owners? Rest in peace the Kuijian Family.