Last August, a passerby walking along a canal in California noticed something heartbreaking — a small animal desperately fighting the current near the water’s edge. Realizing the situation was serious, the Good Samaritan immediately called the Redwood City Fire Department.
Fire captain Chris Clow responded with a rescue team and launched a drone to scan the area from above. Within moments, the drone’s camera revealed a frightened brown dog paddling through the canal, clearly exhausted and running out of strength.
Clow relayed the dog’s location to crews stationed on land and in the water, carefully coordinating their movements. But the rescue wasn’t simple. Terrified and confused, the dog hesitated to approach the shoreline.
“He would start swimming toward shore, then turn away whenever someone got too close,” Clow told The Dodo. “Once the boat arrived and the drone hovered above him, he began swimming away from both — straight toward the bank. I kept the drone close enough that he stayed near the edge instead of drifting back out.”
That gentle guidance made all the difference.
As the dog neared the path, rescuers reached in and carefully lifted him from the water by the scruff of his neck. Waiting nearby, San Mateo County Animal Control staff took over, bringing the shaken pup to safety.
“He was extremely tired and scared,” Clow said.
You can watch the rescue unfold in a video here:
Later that same day, animal control was able to track down the dog’s family. Before long, the exhausted pup was back home, resting comfortably after his frightening ordeal.
Clow hopes the rescue serves as a reminder for pet owners to take extra precautions — securing gates, using leashes near waterways and ensuring pets are microchipped in case they wander off.
For the firefighters involved, the outcome was deeply rewarding.
“The coordination between the ground crews, the boat and the drone is something we train for,” Clow said. “We’re grateful we were able to put that training into action and save this dog’s life.”
