Firefighter, inspector rescue dog from canal

BAYOU VISTA — A building inspector and firefighter rescued a dog Tuesday that was trapped and paddling to stay afloat in a canal.

Bayou Vista Fire Department Capt. Ian Evans and J.B. Morein, the city’s building inspector, were alerted by a police officer who shortly after 2 p.m. heard the dog yelping.

With the water line 5 feet below the retaining wall, the dog was unable to escape the canal behind the wastewater treatment plant, Morein said.

Evans found the nearest boat in the water, thinking it would be a quick rescue.

“Of all the boats in the canal, the one I pick was the one with a broken rudder,” Evans said. “I was doing a series of circles to get to him.”

Evans pinned the dog — a black and tan, neutered mixed breed — in the corner of the canal.

“It took some convincing and a little nice talking, but he finally got in boat and he was tired,” Evans said.

Neither Evans nor Morein knew how long the dog had been paddling to stay afloat.

Morein pulled the dog ashore and lassoed him with a makeshift leash. The first thing the dog did was mark a nearby tree, Morein said.

The dog had no collar but appeared nourished and friendly.

Evans wanted to take the dog to the fire station to await the arrival of animal control but thought twice about putting the soaking dog in the seat of the fire department’s pickup.

Morein solved the problem, leading the dog to his golf cart. When Morein crawled behind the steering wheel, the dog hopped in and sat down on the floorboard.

“That’s somebody’s pet,” Morein said.

Morein drove the dog, which looked quite at home in the golf cart, to the fire station.