Dog missing since July 4th was found swimming in San Francisco Bay
By: San Francisco, CA - A small dog missing for weeks has been rescued from open water after being spotted swimming in San Francisco Bay.
The dog, named Prieta, fled its home after being startled by Fourth of July fireworks, according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
Emergency services were alerted on July 16 when a passerby saw the dog paddling in the water near the city of East Palo Alto, about 35 miles south of San Francisco.
Prieta had been swimming for about 40 minutes before rescuers reached it. The passerby who spotted the dog said it “ran out into the water and just kept swimming”.
A joint rescue effort was launched by local fire crews, police, and animal welfare officers to navigate what officials described as a “challenging water rescue”.
Ground crews initially used binoculars to track Prieta before deploying a drone to pinpoint its exact coordinates, approximately half a mile off the coast.
Video footage released by police captured the exhausted dog paddling through the water as birds hovered overhead.
The East Palo Alto Police Department joked, “Tiny dog escapes marsh, survives aerial assault by an organized gang of seagulls, and is rescued by the Menlo Park Fire Department. 12/10 action movie.”
Rescuers aboard a boat reached the tired animal, scooped it out of the waves, and wrapped it in a warm jacket before bringing the dog back to land.
Prieta was taken to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA shelter. Staff said the dog arrived “exhausted, scared, and with facial injuries from the ordeal,” before veterinarians tended to its scratches and settled it with a meal and water.
A scan of the dog’s microchip allowed staff to contact its owners, who were reunited with Prieta an hour later.
The owner thanked the rescue team, saying they were ‘forever grateful’ for bringing their dog home
After the rescue, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District praised the teamwork involved, posting, “Thank you to everyone who helped reunite this furry friend with its family.”