This dog fell overboard and was rescued by passing boaters, 3 hours later





Five miles off the coast of Hernando Beach, Florida, two couples were celebrating a birthday tradition by enjoying a boat ride.

When they saw a small white and orange shape bobbing in the current, it looked like a buoy. But on closer look, they discovered that it was something much different.

“I thought it was a buoy and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s something moving,`” recalls boater Bruce Knecht in a story by Fox 13.

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Screen Shot: Fox 13 News

As they neared the object, they realized that the “buoy” was actually a small Jack Russell Terrier, wearing a doggy life vest.

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“You just saw his little nose sticking up out of the water,” passenger Shawn Sahr added. “If we weren’t as close as we were, within five to 10 feet, we wouldn’t have seen him.”

Shawn’s husband, Michael Sahr, noted that finding the tiny pup in the vast, choppy waters was “like a needle in a haystack.”

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Screen Shot: Fox 13 News

The pup must have realized this too, because as soon as he saw the boat, he started paddling toward his rescuers. Michael pulled him in, and they radioed the Coast Guard to see if anyone was missing him.

As it turned out, someone had reported a dog overboard 3 hours earlier–this poor pooch must’ve been exhausted!

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Screen Shot: Fox 13 News


“[The owner] had to go down into the bilge to check something and when he came back up, the dog was gone,” Michael explained to Fox 13.

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Screen Shot: Fox 13 News

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The good Samaritans brought the soggy doggy to a nearby Coast Guard station, just as the pup’s relieved owner arrived. Overjoyed, he started calling the dog’s name: Jaegermeister! He got teary-eyed and explained that this dog is his baby, and he thought they’d never see each other again.

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Screen Shot: Fox 13 News

The boaters were certain that the Jack Russel’s life vest was a life saver that day, keeping him visible and afloat for several hours.

Watch the Fox 13 news story here:

Even if your dog is an expert swimmer, it may be a good idea to invest in a life jacket if you take him boating, in case he goes for an unexpected “dip.”

(h/t: Fox 13)

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