When you’re a first responder, you never know what the day might bring. We’ve all seen images depicting firefighters saving cats from trees, but have you ever seen a firefighter rescue a dog? The Cape Coral Fire Department in Florida received a call on June 22, 2026, regarding a struggling dog in a canal at Brittania Lake. Engine 9 and Rescue 9 responded to the call but could never have predicted what they’d find. Resident Denae Judd saw the pup from her kayak and worked to lead the team to the struggling animal. It turns out it wasn’t a dog after all.
Videos by InspireMore
“She monitored its location and let the crew know it had crawled up under a dock. Firefighters entered the water and were able to extract what turned out to be a coyote pup from the space. It was exhausted from its ventures and unable to be released,” the fire department shared on Facebook.
The Cape Coral Fire Department Knew Just What to Do
The crews took the animal to East West Veterinary Care Center for help. Staff will coordinate the coyote pup’s move to CROW-Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc., for rehab.
“For her assistance with this unique situation, firefighters presented Denae with a Community Recognition Coin. We also want to recognize a nearby neighbor, Brian. We learned that he is the one who originally saw the coyote fall in the lake. He even jumped in after to try to get it! His efforts caught the attention of other neighbors who called 9-1-1 and Denae,” the Cape Coral Fire Department shared.
“We werent able to get a photo, but firefighters stopped by this afternoon to present him with a coin as well. This save was a great team effort!!”
Forrest Gump was right. You never know what you’re going to get.
This story’s feature image can be found here
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
