Dogs are one of the most loyal species known to man. It seems like they’re always waiting by the door for us to get home, no matter how long we’ve been away. They listen to all (well, most) of our commands. And the way they look up at us with their big eyes with such respect leads us to believe that they’ll never replace us or do anything to hurt us. They’ve got our backs, and we’ve got theirs.
Heidi the German Shepherd is no different from many dogs out there in terms of being loyal to her owner. In fact, she swam 11 hours in Moreton Bay, Australia on February 19, 2020 shortly after her owner’s boat unexpectedly sank in an attempt to save him!
After several hours of swimming, a fisherman in the area spotted Heidi frantically traveling through the water. Seeing that nobody else was around, he knew right away that something had to be wrong. His gut instinct led him to call local authorities, and not long later, a search rescue appeared to help search for the lone dog’s owner. Meanwhile, Heidi was removed from the water and was taken to a local vet for a check-up.
Hours later, Heidi’s owner was found safe and sound. According to the Queensland Police, the 63-year-old man was found clinging to his tipped-over boat after it had lost fuel and began to sink. Once in the care of the rescue team, he was taken to the hospital to be surveyed and treated. Fortunately, he had no serious injuries following the life-threatening accident.
According to the man, he and his beloved dog were stranded in the bay for approximately 15 hours, and 11 of those hours Heidi spent swimming to look for someone who could help.
Fortunately, Heidi’s long swim was exactly what needed to be done. Now both Heidi and her owner are safe and are in one another’s company again.
Jay Bairstow, a senior sergeant of the Brisbane Water Police had an important announcement to make after learning about the accident. “We would take this opportunity to remind boaties to plan for the worst when they’re out on the water. Always wear [a] personal flotation device and ensure that your safety equipment [is] tested and in good order,” he said.
“Thankfully there was a happy ending to this search and Heidi was able to be our honorary PD for the day.”
Listen to the following video to find out more about the scary incident!
