Couple Saves German Shepherd Trapped in Creek for 4 Hours

When Destiny Mesias and her boyfriend Kevin Pauly heard a dog crying near Stranger Creek in Kansas, they knew something was wrong. What they found was a German Shepherd trapped in the water between 15-foot banks, too exhausted to save himself.

Pauly didn't wait for help. He climbed down into the cold water and wrapped a ratchet strap around the dog's waist to keep him from going under.

"First got there, I just stuck my hand out and tried to talk to him, and then he just whined at me," Pauly said. The dog kept trying to lose consciousness, so Pauly held his head above water and kept talking to him.

Leavenworth County Fire District 2 arrived to find a dog who had likely been in the water for three to four hours. The steep banks made rescue difficult, but crews used ropes to reach the water and pull the German Shepherd to safety.

When firefighters finally got the dog out, his back legs gave out from exhaustion. But he was alive.

"It was really heartwarming to know that we were able to first execute the rescue proficiently and get the dog out of harm's way," said Assistant Chief Dylan Ritter.

Sunny's Take

The German Shepherd was rushed to Riverview Rescue for care, where staff worked to track down his family. They discovered he'd been missing for two days.

When his owner finally arrived, the reunion was everything rescuers hoped for. "The dad was super excited. The dog was super excited," said Levi Monahan, director of Riverview Rescue.

Pauly's quick thinking and willingness to get into cold water kept the dog alive until professional help arrived. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time means being brave enough to act.

One dog is home safe tonight because two people followed the sound of crying and refused to walk away.