Dog canal rescue reminder for pet safety this Fourth of July
A German Shepard is safe after she was rescued from an Indio canal early Thursday morning. Riverside County Animal Services says thanks to a microchip, Lola will be reunited with her family, but it serves as a reminder for pet owners to be extra cautious during the holiday weekend.
The bombs bursting in air this Fourth of July can be fun for the whole family,but to your dog it can be terrifying.
“They see these things popping up in the air they don’t know what’s going on so they will try to get away from that even if it means leaving the area, and that could be your backyard into a busy highway into a canal for instance in this case,” said Riverside County Animal Services Sargent Miguel Hernandez.
The 3-year old German Shepard was missing for nearly two days when she was found clinging to the side of this canal.
“She was actually holding her paws up against the wall it seemed like she had her nails really dug into the wall,” said Hernandez.
After a few tries,Hernandez and a Coachella Valley Water District employee were able to pull her out.
“He laid down on the ground, lowered the lariat down and we got it around the dog’s waist and I was able to pull the dog up at that point,” said Hernandez. “She stood up shook off all of the water and just looked at us saying thank you.”
Hernandez believes she was in the water for at least an hour and somehow managed to stay out of the swift moving current.
“About 2 more feet to the right she would have gone into the siphon filter and who knows what would have happened to her,” said Hernandez.
Lola’s paws were torn up, but otherwise seems to be fine and thanks to a microchip, she will be going home.
“I thought I was just bringing in a stray dog, brought her in to the shelter, scanned it and she had an avid chip it was easily tracked to the owner through our system and that’s the great thing about microchips,” said Hernandez.
While this has an happy ending, Hernandez worries that won’t be the case for other dogs during this Fourth of July weekend.
“Animals get scared and they don’t know what to do they will just try to get away,” said Hernandez.
Instead, Riverside County Animal Services recommend you keep your pets inside all weekend long.
“Put your dog in a nice quiet back room, put the radio on or the TV, let the dog play around with his favorite toy or a Kong filled with peanut butter, just little ways you can relax your pet during this stressful period,” said Riverside County Animal Services spokesperson John Welsh.
