FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A dog that went missing seven years ago is finally back with her original family, thanks to a microchip and a group of fast-acting firefighters.
Crews with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded around 7:45 a.m. to a canal near Northwest 23rd Street after receiving reports of a dog in distress.
Video shows the moment firefighters pulled the dog, Bella, from the water. She was given food, water and a place to rest at Firehouse 47.
“It’s just the right thing to do. We had to get this dog out of the water,” one firefighter said. “I took my shoes off to go grab her.”
Bella had no collar or visible ID, but a microchip led authorities to her original owners — now living four hours north in St. Cloud.
“She’s super sweet,” FLFR spokesman Frank Guzman said. “Because of her demeanor, we were confident she was someone’s pet.”
Bella’s family said they were forced to give her to a friend temporarily after a house fire in 2018. But when they tried to get her back, they learned the friend had rehomed her.
“For about six to eight months we tried to get the dog back,” Bella’s mom said. “We then found out that our friend gave her up.”
They thought they’d lost her forever — until a phone call changed everything.
“The call that came through was like, no way,” her mom said through tears. “They said, ‘Hey, we found your dog. She was in water for about 15 minutes, but we were able to save her.’ I dropped to my knees and started crying.”
Her daughter, who often dreamt about finding Bella, said it felt surreal.“ I’m so emotional,” she said. “She was like my best friend. Every day I came home from school, she was waiting for me.”
Bella is now back where she belongs — at home with the family who never stopped missing her.
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