BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) —The K-9 deputy who saved his partner after he tried to jump a bridge is speaking out after the dangerous situation.
K-9 deputy Lauren Donaldson and her four-legged partner Zeppelin have been working hand-in-paw every day for seven years in the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
But last week, Donaldson got quite a shock after finishing up an arrest on a causeway near Port Canaveral.
The two of them were walking back to the patrol car when Zeppelin tried to jump over the bridge, which is approximately 75 feet above the water’s surface. The unexpected move caught the deputy off guard.
Reacting quickly, the deputy managed to save Zeppelin and pull him to safety.
In the video, Donaldson kept her cool and rooted herself into the ground as she grabbed a tight hold of the dog’s leash and yanked the 75-pound pooch up and over back safely.
“I was able to reel him back in and save him,” said Donaldson.
Had it not been for Donaldson’s quick reaction, Zeppelin could have fallen 75 feet into the water below, a certain death.
It is unclear why the K-9 decided to jump over the bridge but, with their history of competing in different events and training with obstacle courses, Donaldson has a theory.
“I think that he thought the edge of the bridge was just something to jump onto. He has no idea of the concept of height, you know, ‘OK, we’re running, we’re running, let’s jump,’ so he jumped,” said Donaldson.
Donaldson’s feat of strength is even more impressive when people learn that she is reportedly 122 pounds.
The sheriff’s office praised Donaldson’s quick actions, saying they could not be more proud of her for both her work on the bridge and in the community at large.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey added that he’s “still mad at Zeppelin for giving us all a huge scare,” but grateful that he’s unharmed.
He also said that without a doubt, Donaldson was at the right place and the right time to save his life.
Donaldson and Zeppelin owe a lot of their bond to the competitions they’ve won in the past. That includes being two-time reigning champions in the “Hardest Hitting K-9” category of the Space Coast K-9 Competition.
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