1-year-old dog swept away in a storm drain rescued by California firefighters
A one-year-old dog swept away in California floodwaters was rescued and returned to his owner thanks to firefighters – and technology.
Seamus, an Australian shepherd, was on a walk with his owner in San Bernardino and broke away Monday, the fire department said in a news release. His owner tried to catch him, but Seamus went into a storm drain and began to float away. California has experienced widespread flooding in some areas, caused by several storms that have been battering parts of the state for weeks.
His owners and firefighters began to search for him in the area. An employee at an RV facility stopped a fire crew, saying they heard a dog barking and then saw one floating down a channel.
Crews Rescue Dog after being Swept Away into Storm Drain Yesterday San Bernardino crews were dispatched to a public service call for a dog lost in a storm drain. Seamus a one year old Australian Shepard was swept away in a storm drain after running away from his owner on a walk. Before his dog mom could grab him, he found his way into an adjacent flood control basin and began floating away in fast moving waters. The owners began searching & crews were dispatched to assist. Firefighters arrived in the area working to locate the dog in the storm drain. While canvassing the area ME231 was flagged down by an employee at a RV facility on East Redlands Blvd. The employee had heard a dog barking in the nearby channel & witnessed the dog floating down the channel. He followed Seamus and observed the dog had found a way out of the water into an access tube nearby. Firefighters were flagged down & found Seamus in the tube staring back at them. He traveled nearly a mile from when he entered the storm drain. He miraculously made it out of the fast moving water & was stuck at the bottom of the tube. Firefighters quickly made access to the dog, bringing him up the ladder to safety. After assessing the dog he seemed uninjured & in good spirits. Upon investigating they found Seamus had a dog tag with an address & phone number in nearby Loma Linda. The crew took Seamus with them in the fire engine, drying & warming him up on the way to his house. Once arriving firefighters made contact with his worried owners & reunited the family back together. Seamus was equipped with both Apple AirTag & a conventional ID Tag which aided rescuers and owners in tracking the pup and reuniting them. While we would have loved to make Seamus a fire station pup, glad we could reunite the dog back with his owners. #ProudtoServe
Posted by San Bernardino County Fire on Tuesday, January 17, 2023
The employee followed Seamus, who found a way out of the water and into a tube in the ground.
Firefighters found the tube – with Seamus inside, staring back at them among the dirt and litter. He was nearly a mile away from the storm drain he originally entered and "miraculously made it out of the fast-moving water," the fire department said.
The dog was stuck at the bottom of the tube, but firefighters quickly got him up a ladder to safety. He seemed uninjured and in good spirits and they brought him back to the fire engine to dry and warm him up.
Seamus' collar had both an Apple AirTag and an ID tag, which helped his rescuers and owners find each other.
"While we would have loved to make Seamus a fire station pup, glad we could reunite the dog back with his owners," the fire department said.
A video posted on Facebook shows Seamus' owner reuniting with him. He jumps into her arms from the fire truck – dirty and wet, but finally back home.