SARANAC LAKE — Longtime Saranac Lake veterinarian, activist and bobsledder John Cogar died Thursday afternoon. State Police say he drowned in Lower Saranac Lake, north of Eagle Island. He was 76.
Cogar was known around town for his years of service to local animals. He opened the High Peaks Animal Hospital in Ray Brook in 1989 at a time when those services were rare in the Tri-Lakes. In October 2022, he took his skills abroad to a war zone when he traveled with the late USA Luge marketing manager Dmitry Feld to Irpin, Ukraine just eight months after Russia’s still-ongoing invasion of the country began.
New York State Police spokeswoman Brandi Ashley said they responded to the report at 5:55 p.m. Thursday. She said an investigation revealed that Cogar jumped into the lake, but did not resurface. The State Police Underwater Recovery Team, state Department of Environmental Conservation and local fire and rescue teams conducted an active search for Cogar. On Sunday, he was found deceased in the water.
Ashley said there are no signs of foul play and that an autopsy has been scheduled, but the time has yet to be determined.
“This investigation is ongoing,” she said.
Cogar was an avid volunteer, activist and doer.
He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1971 and Cornell Veterinary School in 1975. He was on five United States national bobsled teams, and during that time he met Feld and the two became good friends.
When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Cogar started raising money for Ukraine. When he asked Feld what else he could do, he shortly found himself on a plane with a suitcase filled with medical supplies and surgical instruments, heading to Kiev.
The invasion led to an increase in abandoned dogs and cats and a shortage of veterinarians.
For 10 days, 50 miles from the front lines, Cogar did 75 surgeries — some by flashlight during power outages — on abandoned pets. He vaccinated, spayed and neutered cats and dogs. He met dogs from the front lines who sniffed for bombs and bodies.
Cogar later described the trip as “one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.”