First responders are some of the most tenacious people around, and with good reason. Often, they’re the only thing standing between a positive outcome – and a devastating one.
Videos by InspireMore
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, a woman brought her German shepherd mix called Scooby for a walk along the Los Angeles River in California. Recent rainfall had swollen the river, and somehow the pair got swept away by the current. When emergency crews arrived, they found the woman clinging to her dog in terror.
The woman refused to let go of her dog, even when firefighters tossed her a rescue ring. Finally, the Los Angeles Fire Department was able to use a rope system to lower a firefighter down and rescue the woman. Scooby was so spooked by the commotion that he took off into the water and was swept further downstream.
Next, the crews lowered another firefighter down to try to rescue the dog, but poor Scooby fought off the heroes because he was so frightened. A would-be Good Samaritan even jumped into the river to attempt rescue himself, but the dog bit him several times. Emergency crews then had to rescue the citizen!
Rescue workers warned citizens not to attempt rescue again, as doing so just makes more work for them and puts more lives in danger. The Good Samaritan was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, including dog bite wounds.
By this point, a huge crowd had gathered to watch the dramatic scene play out. The LAFD estimates that the river was flowing between 5 and 10 m.p.h. They’d been attempting to rescue the dog for about 2 hours when a crew member was able to successfully lasso Scooby with a rope in a shallow portion of the river.
L.A. Animal Services’ Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team later shared that Scooby was hypothermic, but otherwise unharmed by the ordeal. Amazingly, all three victims were not injured badly, and everyone was incredibly relieved to have come out unscathed.
Scooby and his owner were reunited, and we’re sure they’ll be a lot more careful about where they walk in the future. Thank goodness for these tenacious rescue workers!
Watch the live footage of Scooby’s rescue in the video below, and don’t forget to share this dramatic rescue with others.
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