California firefighters are able to locate and rescue a dog that was swept away in floodwaters thanks to the dog’s Apple AirTag. Emilie Brill was out walking her Australian shepherd, Seamus [[SHAY-mus]], when the pup got swept away in rushing floodwaters. “He got away from me and he just went down into this drainage,” Brill recalls, “The water was going so fast, I think all it took was one paw in that water and he was gone.”
Brill immediately called 911 and firefighters were dispatched to the area to help. The crew started canvassing the area and were soon flagged down by an employee at a local RV facility, who said he’d seen the dog and heard it barking nearby. Using the Apple AirTag on Seamus, firefighters were able to pinpoint his location to a drainage tube, one mile from where he was initially swept away.
They were able to go down into the drain and bring Seamus back to the surface. “Firefighters quickly made access to the dog, bringing him up the ladder to safety,” San Bernardino Fire reports. “After assessing the dog he seemed uninjured and in good spirits.” Brill was relieved to be reunited with her pup and impressed with the fire department’s work. “I was just blown away by that level of response from our emergency services,” she says. “And just really grateful that there are people that understand that dogs are family members.”