A small dog experienced a harrowing escape in San Francisco Bay, contending with choppy waters and aggressive seagulls before firefighters intervened to save it.
The little pup was discovered struggling in a marsh near Cooley Landing Park in East Palo Alto on Thursday, almost a fortnight after it vanished on the Fourth of July.
East Palo Alto police captured the action-packed rescue on video, humorously noting the cat in the tree was enjoying a day off.
“A small dog made a daring escape from a swamp, fended off an aerial attack by a coordinated group of seagulls, and was rescued by the Menlo Park Fire Department,” police commented in a Facebook post, comparing the situation to a scene from a high-stakes film.
The whole incident kicked off when a witness saw the dog leap into the water and swim away from the shore, prompting a call to 911.
Officers arrived at 3:26 p.m., and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District sprang into action to locate the missing pup.
Firefighters initially used binoculars and later employed a drone to find the dog.
Aerial footage showed the weary animal paddling while seagulls circled overhead.
The dog had swum about half a mile into the bay prior to the rescuers’ arrival.
Members of the Menlo Fire Airboat 77 were seen retrieving the dog from the water and wrapping it in a firefighter’s jacket.
Once back on land, the puppy was examined, revealing an open wound on its left cheek, which was likely from a run-in with one of the seagulls.
Animal control took custody of the dog and later transported it to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, where staff successfully reunited it with its owner.
This remarkable rescue was a collaborative effort involving the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, the East Palo Alto Police Department, the Redwood City Fire Department, and the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.
The story surprised many on Facebook, with comments ranging from praise of the dog’s resilience to lighthearted jokes about the seagulls’ dinner plans.
