On Jan 30, 2014, a male 15-year old Chow Chow dog fell off a train trestle bridge into the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, Calif. Lucky for him, Santa Cruz Seaside Co. security officers responded to the distress call and saved the pet’s life.
Brandon Ennis was near the river that morning when he saw the dog tumble off the train trestle. He called 911 and Sgt. Darryl Kriner along Cpl. Carlos Garcia responded to the call.
“We were whistling and saying, ‘Come here boy,'” Kriner told Santa Cruz Sentinel. “But I think with the current and the water coming in from the bay, it was stopping him from getting over.”
The dog kept swimming to stay alive. For 10 minutes, the officers tried to lure the dog near them with no luck, when out of nowhere a sea lion approached the pet and pulled him under the water for a few seconds. When the canine resurfaced, he was closer to shore but unconscious.
Ennis entered the river and retrieved the pet bringing him towards the officers. Immediately, Kriner and Garcia performed CPR and saved the dog’s life.
“We’re just like if it works for humans, maybe it’ll work for animals,” Kriner said.
After the dog was revived, he was placed on a stretcher and transferred to Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. There, the pet was stabilized and scanned for a microchip, but unfortunately he did not have one.
Hours later Todd Stosuy, field services manager for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, returned to the area where the dog was rescued and found a group of people looking for their lost 15-year-old dog named Kobi.
Kobi and his owners had recently moved to the area and the dog had gotten loose and lost. Stosuy informed the dog’s owners what had happened to the pet and where they could go claim him.
The senior pet was reunited with his worried owners and he is now back home safe.
Thanks to the Good Samaritan who called 911, and to the police officers, Kobi is alive and well today. The pet made a full recovery.
