Jeannie Wilcox, her husband, and their two kids were enjoying a boating excursion on Lake Michigan when they spotted something odd.
The Wilcoxes were aboard their boat “Off The Hook” making an 8-hour trip from Grand Haven to Frankfort, Michigan when the excitement occurred. Jeannie says they were about 4 miles from shore when she noticed an animal struggling in the water.
The animal was red in color, but it wasn’t until they got closer that they realized it was a dog. Jeannie began to yell, “Dog in the water!”
The family pulled the exhausted animal into their boat. They figure she’d been treading water for at least an hour by the time they happened by. The dog was cold and tired, but seemed otherwise unhurt.
“We brought her up on our swim platform really easily,” Jeannie told Detroit News. “We dried her off. She was obviously scared and cold.”
The family continued on their journey to Belmont. Once back on dry land, they brought the dog to a vet to have her microchip scanned, and within hours her owners were located!
Jeannie and her family later met up with the dog’s owners, sharing a video of their reunion on Facebook. “Happy Happy reunion! All dogs welcome on Off The Hook … aka water dog rescue,” she wrote.
It turns out that the dog had been out on a sailboat ride with her owners when she fell into the water. They were very grateful that this nice family found her and got her safely home.
Jeannie says rescuing the dog made her entire family feel good about their day on the water. “I just hope that if this was my dog, somebody would do the same for me,” she said. “I would just be very grateful, happy because I know how rough Lake Michigan can be.”
We’re so glad that this family happened to be motoring by when this pooch needed their help. This story is also an excellent reminder to have pets microchipped so reunions like this are possible. Putting your pet in a life jacket is also recommended while out enjoying the water.
Share this story to welcome this cute dog back home.
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