FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A German Shepherd was rescued by rescue crews after being found stranded in a South Florida canal and is set to be reunited with its family.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to a 911 call near Northwest 23rd Avenue off of Sixth Street, around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, saying that a loose dog that had been roaming around ended up in a canal and couldn’t get out.
Firefighters were able to locate and safely remove the German Shepherd from the canal.
Members of the team that rescued the dog spoke to 7News following the rescue operation.
“I’m sure a few minutes before we got there, she was probably on the brink of drowning,” said Mason McConchie. “Glad we didn’t have to see that.”
Officials said it all began when two good Samaritans initially spotted the dog wandering aimlessly around their neighborhood.
“So, we noticed it when we were walking to the store from our house to get some chips and rushed in to put our stuff away and grab some water and food for the dog and, thirty seconds later, we come outside, the dog is not there,” Federico Skinner, one of the good Samaritans, said.
Unbeknownst to them, the dog had kept wandering toward Sweeting Park, just down the road from their home. It was the same park the couple coincidentally chose to walk through later in the day.
“Talking here in the pier and out of the corner of my eyes I see a dog fall in the water and sure enough it was the same dog,” Skinner said.
The pair immediately called 911 and rescue crews from FLFR rushed to the scene to save the dog.
“McConchie took his shoes off and got down in the water and lifted the puppy out,” said FLFR Captain David Landers.
“She seemed very relaxed and chill with Captain Landers and he was petting her, so I just went in and picked her up; I’m glad we got her out of there,” said McConchie.
The dog is currently at the fire house where they have gave her food and water. Officials said the dog remains extremely calm and well-behaved, as they wait for her original owner to pick her up.
According to officials, due to her demeanor they were sure she is or was someone’s pet and after several hours, they were able to track down her original owner.
“A life’s a life, whether it’s an animal, whether it’s a person, of course we’re going to do everything we possibly can to save a life, ” said Landers. “As you can see, she’s very docile, sweet dog.”
FLFR told 7News that she was chipped back in 2018, so the Fort Lauderdale Animal Crimes Unit was able to track down her original owner who now lives in St. Cloud, her chip indicating that her name may have been Gidget at one point.
“The callers are the true heroes because had they have not called, nobody would’ve known that dog was in the water,” said Landers.
The original owner said that she adopted her back in 2018 and then gave her away because she was moving, but now they are making the three hour trip down to bring her home.
Most details about the dog and her history after being given away remain unclear, but officials said she will be reunited with her family on Wednesday.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.