Animal Services rescues dog stuck in canal

An officer with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services rescued a German shepherd from a canal Wednesday afternoon.

The dog named Max, who is 5-years-old, was located in a section of the Gage Canal in Riverside near Bradley Street and Grace Street, a few miles south of Highway 91, according to officials.

Authorities believe loud thunder in the Riverside area Wednesday morning may have scared him and sent him running. Good Samaritans tried to help Max by putting a pallet on the side of the bank to let the dog use as a step ladder, but he still couldn’t make it up the steep bank.

Officer Dylan Gates was called to the scene just after 2 p.m. Within moments of his arrival, he was able to safely retrieve the dog from the canal, authorities said.

Max was in good condition and he was reunited with his owner shortly after.

According to officials, the Gage Canal only stretches a few feet across, but its walls can be steep and sometimes they get very slick. The canal is a historic waterway that runs from the Santa Ana Rivers and through several miles of Riverside.