Firefighters rescued a small dog that had been missing for weeks after finding it swimming into the San Francisco Bay. The dog went missing over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. On 16 July, someone called 911 to report seeing a dog enter the bay near the Dumbarton Bridge in East Palo Alto.
Rescue operation details
The dog “just kept swimming,” according to a Menlo Park Fire District Instagram post. The Menlo Park Fire Protection District mobilized at least two trucks, a boat and an airboat in pursuit. Rescuers first spotted the dog from the ground with binoculars, then used a drone while pursuing it from the water. The department later released footage of the rescue on social media.
Both fire and police officers assisted. The dog was photographed getting toweled off by a team of tattooed firefighters. Additional footage from the East Palo Alto Police Department showed the dog being followed by seagulls in the water. According to InMenlo, the dog was rescued half a mile off the shore.
Reunion with family
Authorities turned the dog over to the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which located the pup’s family and returned it. “Dog and family have been reunited,” the Menlo Park Fire Protection District’s Instagram post reads.
