Heroes Rescue Exhausted Shepherd from Creek

Quick Smiles:

• Bystanders spot crying dog trapped in steep creek.
• Hero keeps pup afloat until fire crews arrive.
• Faithful German Shepherd joyfully reunites with owner.

Destiny Mesias and Kevin Pauly heard a dog’s cries near Stranger Creek and discovered a German Shepherd trapped in the water with steep banks.

Pauly bravely climbed down, secured a ratchet strap around the dog’s waist, and held its head above water as it fought exhaustion for hours.

“I think there’s a dog over there in the woods, hurt, you know, crying,” Mesias recalled.

“First got there, I just stuck my hand out and tried to talk to him, and then he just whined at me,” Pauly said. “So I got down and felt comfortable putting the strap all the way around his whole waist.”

“Held his head up a little bit, we just kept talking to him as he kept trying to nod off into the water,” he explained.

Firefighters from Leavenworth County Fire District 2 used ropes to descend the 15-foot bank and hoist the dog to safety after three to four hours in the water.

“The bank is probably 15 feet tall, so we were able to use some ropes to get our people down to the water and get a rope around the dog to get it out,” Assistant Chief Dylan Ritter said.

“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 and for the sheriff’s department and Riverview Rescue to get that canine on the road to recovery and find its owner,” Ritter added.

The weary German Shepherd, missing for two days, received care at Riverview Rescue before an emotional reunion with its thrilled owner.

“It was really nice to be able to reconnect him. The dad was super excited. The dog was super excited,” said Levi Monahan, director of Riverview Rescue.

Stories like this remind us of everyday heroes making tails wag—share this uplifting tale to brighten someone’s day!

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