Fire Crews Rescue Dog
Swept Away to Storm Drain
San Bernardino Fire Battalion Chief/PIO Michael McClintock__
Monday, January 16, 2023 afternoon, San Bernardino Fire
Department 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 when the dispatched
crews join-in to assist.
SB County Firefighters also arrived in the area working to
locate the Australian Shepard in the storm drain. While canvassing the area
ME231 was flagged down by an employee at a RV facility on East Redlands Boulevard.
The employee had heard a dog barking in the nearby channel and 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. The Firefighters were
flagged down and found Seamus in the tube staring back at them. Seamus, the Australian
Shepard had traveled nearly a mile from when he entered the storm drain. He
miraculously made it out of the fast-moving water and was stuck at the bottom of
the tube.
The firefighters quickly made access to Seamus, bringing him up
the ladder to safety. After assessing the dog, he seemed uninjured and in good spirits.
Upon investigating
they found Seamus had a dog tag with an address and phone number in nearby Loma
Linda. The crew took Seamus with them in the San Bernardino Fire engine, drying
and warming him up on the way to his house.
Once arriving, the Firefighters
made contact with Seamus’ worried owners and reunited the family back together.
Seamus was equipped with both Apple Air-Tag and 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.” commented the San Bernardino Fire Crew