The black Labrador retriever-mix probably just wanted to go for a little ocean swim.
Sadie slipped out of the home where her parents were watching a football game last week and took a dip. But she was quickly swept up in a rip current that took her a half-mile out to sea, and had lifeguards and her parents wondering if she’d come back alive.
When Alexis Barcellos and Brandon Valdez noticed the 5-year-old pup missing, they tracked her via the AirTag on her collar and set off down the coast to find her, officials said.
Sadie returns to land after being rescued by San Diego lifeguards Sunday. (San Diego Fire-Rescue Department)
Nearly 2 miles away from the home, surfers alerted Lifeguard Tower 2 in Ocean Beach to a dog that had been swept into a rip current near the jetty. Lifeguard units and a U.S. Coast Guard small boat searched the area after the dog disappeared into the channel, according to a statement by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Lifeguards Garret Smerdon and Jack Alldredge launched a personal watercraft and went beyond the surf break to find the dog, they said in a video included with the statement.
But after some time, there were no sightings,
“We were looking for an hour,” Alldredge said in the video. “And (Smerdon) said we’re going to look for about 10 minutes.”
The two said they kept up their search, knowing that Sadie was likely still alive. Lab retrievers are known to be water dogs.
But, as the 10 minutes expired, the search was called off. And the two began to head in.
And that’s when Alldredge thought he saw something swimming in the water, about a half-mile off South Mission Beach.
“We got closer and closer, and we realized it was her, and we were pretty excited,” Alldredge said.
This photo released by San Diego Fire-Rescue shows owner Alexis reuniting with Sadie, a black Labrador retriever-mix. (San Diego Fire-Rescue Department via AP)
Barcellos, one of Sadie’s owners, recalled that just as the search was being called off, she heard the call on the radio that they had found the dog.
“And we kind of just held our breath, and they were like, and the dog is alive,” she said. “And we kind of just started crying right away.”
The video shows the lifeguards arriving back to a dock holding the dog. Sadie was wrapped in a blanket, wet and seemingly scared, but alive.
“We just really wanted a happy ending, and we’re glad that Sadie got to go back home and survived this pretty traumatic event,” said Smerdon.
Sadie’s paws and nails were badly damaged from trying to climb onto the jetty, so Barcellos and Valdez had to carry her around for about a week, Barcellos said Thursday. But she has been in great spirits, and this week Sadie made her first trip to the pet store since the rescue to pick out a treat and took her first 1.5-mile walk.
“We are just beyond grateful she is home safe with us,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.