A crew from Ventura County Public Works was surveying a canal in Camarillo, California, during a rainstorm. As they watched the canal flood, they suddenly realized there was someone small trapped in the rising waters.
A little dog had somehow ended up trapped down in the canal, and the crew knew they had to get her out as soon as possible. The dog was curled up on some grass, shaking as the water closed in around her. The crew contacted Ventura County Animal Services, who quickly arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, they realized the pup was trapped 10 feet down and it wouldn’t be easy to reach her, so they called Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) for help.
“While waiting for VCFD, the dog stayed curled up in one spot, shivering and looking around occasionally,” Jules Hooper, marketing specialist at Ventura County Animal Services, told The Dodo. “When the rescue swimmer first got close, she was a little nervous and started to swim away – luckily, the swimmer was able to reach her, and once she realized he was there to help, she came toward him to be carried to safety!”
The fire department used a ladder, their water rescue team and pure determination to rescue the pup, and it was clear how grateful she was once she was finally in her rescuer’s arms.
Once the dog was safely out of the canal, her rescuers had her at the Camarillo Shelter within 20 minutes. They dried her off, made sure her temperature was normal and set her up in a kennel with a blanket, where she could finally take some time to decompress after her ordeal.
“Luckily, our sweet damsel in distress, who appears to be an approximately 3-year-old French bulldog or pug mix, was shivering but otherwise unharmed,” Hooper said.
Unfortunately, the pup wasn’t microchipped, and the shelter is still searching for her family. If no one steps forward to claim her, she’ll be up for adoption starting on Saturday, October 18th. After everything she’s been through, this sweet pup deserves a happy ending.
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