Miami

Dog Rescued After Swimming From Coral Gables to Biscayne Bay

A South Florida dog went on quite the journey Monday. Somehow, the brave pup traveled from Coral Gables, all the way to Biscayne Bay.

On the deck of a Miami Fire Rescue boat, nestled against the leg of a firefighter, the dog was shivering, covered with a blue blanket and exhausted after being rescued.

Her owners met at a Bayside dock for a reunion that was almost a miracle.

"Baby dog. Yay, come here. Why did you leave me honey?" the dog's owner said during the reunion.

As soon as the black Labrador made it safely on land, the 14-year-old dog was as happy as a puppy.

"Fergie, fergie. What are you doing here? Why'd you leave me? Why'd you leave me baby? Aww, baby are you okay?" her owner said.

Fergie was found in Biscayne Bay in Edgewater. She swam there from the water near the Gables. That's an average of nine miles.

"She was in the water swimming. It was in between Pace Park and Picnic Island," the owner explained.

Heading toward an island, MFR said someone living in a condo called 911 saying they notice the four-legged, aging animal in the middle of the bay.

"Immediately Miami Fire Rescue was dispatched out there," said Lt. Ignatius Carroll with MFR.

Two people who also saw the dog, jumped in the water to try and help.

"Miami Police arrived and we started getting the two people who were attempting to rescue the dog, started waving for assistance because obviously trying to get out there to the dog, they were also tired and had to be picked up and taken back to shore," Lt. Carroll explained.

Fergie loves to swim, but usually with the family. Monday she apparently had a bad case of separation anxiety.

"They had just left the house from about two hours ago and they didn't realize that the dog was able to get out of the house and jumped into the water thinking it was going to find its owners out there," Lt. Carroll said.

MFR said as soon as Fergie saw their rescue boat, she started swimming directly towards them.

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