On Saturday, January 7, a drunk driver fleeing the scene of a prior accident struck and killed a 53-year-old Sarasota woman while she was jogging with her dog.
Barney was injured in the accident, and was so frightened that he fled the scene, made his way to a nearby beach and jumped into the Gulf of Mexico. He was found a half mile offshore by a fisherman in a kayak. He was swimming for the horizon and likely would have drowned had he not been fortunate enough to meet a kind stranger.
He was brought to a veterinarian and treated before being returned to his family, and in this new interview, they express heartbreak over the tragic loss of a loved one – while celebrating the miraculous return of another.