Dog swept away by California flood rescued thanks to Apple AirTag
A California dog owner has an Apple AirTag to thank for being reunited with her Australian shepherd after the pup was swept away by floodwaters this week.
Emilie Brill was walking 1-year-old Seamus in San Bernardino County Monday when he got away from her and ended up in a flood-control basin churning with swift-moving floodwaters, which swept the pooch away before she could grab him.
“The water was going so fast, I think all it took was one paw in that water and he was gone,” Brill told KABC.
Crews from San Bernardino County Fire were dispatched to the scene and began scouring the area in search of Seamus, according to a Facebook post from the agency detailing the incident.
While canvassing the area, firefighters were flagged down by an employee at an RV facility on East Redlands Boulevard who reported seeing a dog floating down a nearby channel and hearing its barks.
The witness followed Seamus and noticed that the canine had found a way out of the water and into an access tube nearby.
Brill’s four-legged companion was found to be equipped with both an Apple AirTag and a conventional ID tag, which helped rescuers pinpoint Seamus’ location.
The drenched and dirty dog was found by firefighters standing on a pile of debris at the bottom of the tube, after being carried by the fast current in the storm drain for a mile.
Firefighters used a ladder to bring the pup up to the surface, where he was assessed and determined to be uninjured and in good spirits.
The crew took Seamus to the fire engine to dry and warm him up before driving him to his owners in Loma Linda.
Video capturing the joyful reunion shows a beaming Brill rushing to the fire engine and scooping Seamus in her arms.
“He is one lucky dog, I’ll tell you that,” one of the firefighters tells the woman. “He’s got some fight in him.”
“Oh, he is so lucky!” Brill agrees while cuddling her prodigal pup.
Fire officials later wrote that while they would have “loved to make Seamus a fire station pup,” they were glad to have reunited him with his owners.
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