Deputy Hears Crying Dog, Jumps into Swampy Lake To Save Dog
Dog owners never know quite what their dogs will get into. It’s like having kids, in a way: Every day is a new opportunity for both terrible and exciting discoveries.
There are times, though, when those discoveries require more helping hands. One dog owner in Hillsborough County, Florida, experienced that this past week.
On Wednesday, a woman realized her beloved dog was separated from her. He was crying for help, and had somehow gotten himself stuck in a swampy area.
Fortunately he wasn’t tangled in weeds or seriously hurt, he was just hesitant to cross the watery divide by himself.
Many dogs are great with water. Some breeds were specifically raised because of their love of water, and they have buoyant proportions and webbed feet that help keep them gliding through the water.
But this dog, a boxer, fell into the category of landlubber. It wasn’t just that he didn’t like water or didn’t want to swim: Many boxers will actually sink in water.
Their deep chests and top-heavy build makes it very difficult for them to stay afloat. Their large, unwebbed feet and short snouts only make the prospect of swimming more questionable.
So this boxer, Cody, waited. And cried. And eventually, Deputy Matt Patellis with the HCSO showed up.
He called to Cody, but Cody was unwilling to swim across the swamp. After all his cajoling failed, Patellis changed his clothes and dove into the murky water.
OFFICE TODAY: Hanging out with @HCSOSheriff deputy who jumped into swampy water to save “Cody” the boxer. #reunited #DogLover pic.twitter.com/xz8SvtXu78
— Corey Davis (@WFLACorey) June 28, 2018
There could have been other animals lurking in the muddy water. It was Florida, after all — but Deputy Patellis didn’t think about that. He focused on the stressed pup ahead of him.
At first Cody was nervous around Patellis, but soon trusted the deputy to ferry him across the water. Once he was out of danger, the dog started to kiss Patellis and was much happier.
“He was a good dog,” Patellis said. “He was happy and afterwards he thanked me and gave me kisses and loving on me, so this is one of those calls that makes you smile at the end of the day.”
The HCSO also posted on Twitter about the incident: “They both need showers but everyone is back home safe thanks to the deputy going above and beyond the call of duty by going into the small lake.”
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