CBSLA
The Los Angeles Fire Department said the woman and dog were found in the water near Sepulveda Dam just before 2:15 p.m., according to Margaret Stewart of the department. The crews managed to save the woman at about 2:40 pm, but the dog entered the water, walking alternately and swimming under the rushing river, unable to reach dry ground. Rescue crews stopped at various locations along the river, but the dog was pushed down the rushing river through Studio City. At one point a 29-year-old jumped into the water and managed to grab the dog and get stuck on the north side of the river. The LAFD lowered a member of the rapid rescue team into the water, but as he approached the man and the dog, the animal was released and pushed back into the stream. The man who jumped into the river to grab the dog was then lifted to safety and taken to hospital for treatment for a bite from the dog he tried to save. Scooby, after being rescued from the fast moving river of Los Angeles in Studio City, California, on March 28, 2022. (LA Animal Services) “I was trying to save the dog,” the man told CBSLA. “I took him. He bit me on the arm, and then when the helicopter came, he got scared and left my arms.” The dog continued downhill, eventually reaching relatively high points in Studio City, near Gilligan’s Island Road near CBS Studios. At that point, four members of a rapid rescue team were able to walk into the river towards the animal. The dog tried to turn and run against the current away from the rescuers, but fell to the deep edge of the river and was dragged to the crew, who managed to put a leash on the animal and lead it to safety shortly before 4:05 p.m. .μ. The owner of the dog was taken to a hospital where he was treated for abrasions and evaluated for problems with water and cold, although he is expected to be well. LA Animal Services has taken charge of a dog named Scooby, a healthy male German Shepherd. Scooby was taken to the East Valley Animal Shelter for evaluation by a veterinarian. He had light abrasions on his legs. He was later reunited with his family, LA Animal Services reported late Monday night. “After everything he went through, he was still quite energetic, quite intelligent, alert and responsive. So, in the end, that’s all that really matters,” Vanessa Flores told Animal Services at a post-rescue press conference. .
