Advertisement

Firefighters rescue dog from rain-swollen L.A. River

The dog was named "Lucky" by the firefighters who rescued him.

By Fred Lambert

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Firefighters pulled a struggling dog from the rain-swollen waters of the L.A. River on Friday in a dramatic rescue that was caught on camera.

Someone at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Ca., called emergency services after spotting the small brownish-yellow canine paddling in the river, which had been burdened by heavy rains soaking the San Fernando Valley that day.

Advertisement

Firefighters found the dog three miles downriver in Glendale and were able to save him in an aerial rescue. Using a hoist cable, firefighter John Terrusa was lowered down from a helicopter, plucking the dog from the water and bringing him to the river's bank, where a small crowd had formed.

Terrusa called the rescue a "team effort, quite a concert."

"It is definitely a loved animal," he told NBC4. "It's just one of those things where I'm sure the dog just got out of somebody's yard and got in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

The 7-year-old dog was described as a "terrier mix" by KTLA and a Shiba Inu by NBC4. Lacking an identifying microchip and with no name on his collar, rescuers named him "Lucky."

Advertisement

Lucky was taken to a shelter in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, where, if not claimed by an owner in seven days, he will be put up for adoption. NBC4 reports there has already been one offer.

Latest Headlines