Dog Found 200 Yards Offshore Rescued By Coast Guard

May 29, 2020 by apost team

Firefighters have reputations for rescuing cats out of trees, but now another rescue squad is earning a reputation for helping animals.

The US Coast Guard expanded its duties in December 2019 to save a poor dog who had gotten swept out almost 200 yards from shore off the coast of southwest Florida. 

According to the Daily Mail, the poor dog was struggling against the tide near Ft. Myers, Florida. A call came into the station after several people saw the dog in distress. Coast guard officers sprang into action. They were already out and about completing a night training exercise. The search was on for the animal in trouble.

The video released by the coast guard is shot from the side of the rescue boat. It is miraculous that they are able to spot the dog's small dark head in the gray choppy water.

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Once they see the dog, they carefully maneuver their craft close to the tired dog and reached out to pull him into the boat. They were careful to cut the engine before they got too close, both for the dog's safety and to keep the pooch from getting scared.

They call the dog and whistle for him. As they pull close, it is obvious the dog is struggling to keep going. A strong officer reaches into the water and hauls the dog aboard.

The dog shows his gratitude by nuzzling his rescuer and then shaking water all over him. The officer doesn't seem to mind. He and another officer talk to the dog, calming him and making sure he's okay. "How are you doing buddy?", one of them asks.

He appears to be doing just fine. He's about the size of a lab, with brown fur and soft brown eyes rimmed with lighter fur. Once he is out of the water and dried off a little, he is happy to calmly sit and rest with the people who saved him.

On the coast guard's official Facebook page, they announced the rescue with good humor: "What could’ve been a ruff day for this pooch turned out to be quite the tail!" They also included the video footage, which quickly racked up over 350,000 views.

What do you think of the Coast Guard's rescue? Have you ever rescued an animal before? Let us know and pass this video on to fellow animal-loving friends and family members.