FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A dog is looking for a furever home after nearly drowning in a pool in Fort Lauderdale.

Eleven-week-old Leo remains shaken up but hopeful for the future after he was rushed to an animal hospital by Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue on Friday.

The dog fell into a murky pool behind a home on Vermont Avenue and nearly drowned.

“He was near drowned. The fire department brought him in. They did an amazing job,” said Dr. Enio Sanmarti, a veterinarian at VEG ER for Pets, the animal hospital where Leo was taken.

Darling Merissaint told 7News she was watching Leo for a family member when she realized he’d fallen in the pool.

“I grabbed a big stick and pulled him out, and I noticed that he was breathing really hard,” she said.

She called 911 and first responders arrived quickly, put Leo on oxygen and transported him to VEG ER for Pets, also in Fort Lauderdale.

Inside, doctors were waiting for the four-legged patient.

“Fortunately, the fire department did a great job of providing oxygen and support to Leo, and by the time he got here, he was pretty cold,” said Dr. Ignacio Casali, a veterinarian at the hospital.

Doctors said Leo was in intensive care for roughly 72 hours, but on Tuesday, he appeared to have recovered.

“Just after a few days, he just didn’t need oxygen anymore, and he went outside, and he’s been a happy little boy ever since,” said Sanmarti.

Now, he needs to find a new home after his original family gave him up.

“He’s ready to be taken to a loving home that is going to give him love for the rest of his life,” said Sanmarti.

Leo will be at VEG ER for the next couple of days.

If anyone is interested in adopting him, hospital staff urges people to stop by.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
VEG Emergency Vet Website

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