Dog News

Coast Guard Crews Miraculously Grab Dog Just as His Head Slips under Water

by Melanie

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11.23.12 Water Rescue
From left to right, petty officers Delbert Wiggins and Andrew Peak, Seaman Marina Rodriguez, and Boatswain’s Mate 2 Matthew Foussadier

 

Earlier today a dog nearly took his last swim at Doran Beach in Bodega Bay, California.  The yellow Lab, named Buddy, was rescued by the Coast Guard about 400 yards from shore.

“We were a little apprehensive,” boatswain’s mate Matthew Foussadier said.  “When you do encounter an animal in distress, they can be resistant, but this dog was more than happy to get out of the water.”

Buddy was walking by the water with Jay, father of the Samran family.

“The owner said the dog was playing in sand and had sand in his mouth, so he took him off the leash and he ran into the water,” Foussadier said. “They are water dogs.”

He swam far from shore, and got disoriented.  Buddy was in the water about 40 minutes when a beach-goer called the Coast Guard.  (It is unknown why the owner did not call, and sooner.)  They rushed to the tired dog’s rescue under ideal weather conditions.

“It is not too bad of a day, sunny and the seas were calm,” noted Foussadier.  “If there was a day for this to happen, this is that day.”

Eight minutes after the call, the crew reached the exhausted dog just as his time had run out.  After paddling for nearly an hour, his energy completely drained, Buddy slipped below the surface.

“[Andrew] Peak reached in deep and grabbed the dog and pulled him on board,” Foussadier said.  “The dog was kind of flailing around… trying to jump back into the water, he was shivering, whining, and we wrapped him in a blanket and warmed him up.”

The Samrans waited anxiously at the dock for their Buddy, who eagerly strained on his leash when he saw them.

“This is the way the cases are supposed to go.  It was flawless from beginning to the end,” Foussadier said. “It is a great feeling to be able to pull the dog out of the water.  It would have been horrible if he hadn’t survived.”