Miami Beach police rescue dog from water

Marine Patrol finds, rescues Frankie after dog spends 2 hours in water

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ Police helped rescue a dog who got out of his yard and ended up in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Frankie, a Chihuahua and cocker spaniel mix, spent almost two hours in the water off Di Lido Island.

"He got loose and we've been looking for him," said his owner, Jeremiah Heffron. "I used to take him out swimming in the Intracoastal a lot and he loves to swim."

Heffron adopted Frankie a year ago from Animal Rescue, and since then, Frankie has been losing his eyesight and is now blind. He was worried when his pouch turned up missing.

"When I got the call that he was missing, a lot of things go through your head," said Heffron.

As it turned out, Heffron had nothing to be concerned about. Residents saw Frankie in the water and called police. Marine patrol found him and was able to pluck Frankie out of the water.

"Good thing he just swam up to the boat, [and] made it easy for me to just scoop him up," said Vincent Canete with Miami Beach Patrol. "He's a good swimmer."

In no time at all, Frankie was back safe in his owner's arms.

Officers joked that Frankie was rescued twice in the past year: Monday and when Heffron found him at the animal shelter.


About the Authors:

Jacey Birch anchors Local 10 News Mornings each weekday from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. She is also proud to be the animal advocate for Local 10's investigative team.