VERO BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) —A dog was left stranded on an island, but finding him would not be an easy task.
After spending days stranded on an island, the rescue mission for this big guy is finally over.
“It was very exciting and we’re happy to have him here,” said Kate Meghji, CEO of the Humane Society of Vero Beach.
The dog is still shy, but officials said he’s in good health and in good spirits.
“He’s very timid and so we’re spending our time trying to spoil him, give him lots of yummy treats, and get him feeling comfortable and safe,” Meghji said.
It all started Friday, when someone spotted the 6-year-old German Shepherd on the loose in Vero Beach before he ran into the water and swam to a neighboring island.
“This was a dog that every time someone would approach he would dart off, he would run away so no one could get close to him,” Meghji said.
Officials said he spent nearly five days roaming, and made every effort to avoid several rescue attempts from first responders, animal control and volunteers.
“There a couple trails and camp sites within, but you can’t get to most of the island, so as we get closer, it would just run under the brush and there’s no way we could get to it,” said Chris Woodruff, owner of Vero Beach Tackle & Watersports
After spending several hours searching, a trap was set up by animal control with some treats inside it, and that did the trick.
Early Tuesday morning, he was rescued and taken to the human society for a full exam.
“We just need to see how he decompresses over the next couple of days, and then we might be able to figure out about a little bit more of who he is,” Meghji said.
The shelter is now working to find his owner.
If they can’t, they said they will put him up for adoption.
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