Police say a Massachusetts couple drowned trying to rescue their dog after it went overboard.

Investigators said Daniel Cyr, 64, jumped from his boat into Hampton Ponds in Westfield on Monday around 6 p.m. to save the terrier but ran into trouble, police said.

That's when his wife, Patricia Cyr, 61, went in after him.

Other boaters heard the woman screaming for help and pulled them from the water to take them to shore, The Westfield News reported.

Bystanders attempted to resuscitate them until the ambulance arrived.

The Westfield couple were pronounced dead in hospital.

The dog survived and was taken to an animal shelter.