Rescued Dog ‘Says’ Thanks To Firefighter
Published: October 28, 2004
Bruno got to “say” thanks Thursday to the firefighter who plucked him from the swirling waters of the rain-swollen Los Angeles River and brought him to safety at the end of a cable tied to a helicopter.
Visiting swift-water expert Alan Naeole at Fire Station Number 88 on Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks Thursday, the 2-year-old golden Labrador wagged his tail and gratefully accepted a treat from the 21-year Los Angeles Fire Department veteran.
But his owner, Marian Moreno, was somewhat more demonstrative, giving Naeole a hug.
Bruno and Moreno’s 4-year-old border collie, Bear, both snuck out of her Arleta home during the powerful Pacific storm that swatted the Southland Wednesday. Somehow, both ended up in the river, tumbling along on an 8-mile odyssey.
Bear was rescued near Radford Avenue in Studio City when city firefighters happened by, said department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
Bruno’s rescue an hour later was nothing short of dramatic.
Tethered to a helicopter by a cable, Naeole found Bruno ankle-deep in the water in a tunnel off the main channel in the Toluca Lake area and managed to put a harness on him before the two were lifted to safety.
While Bruno may have shown poor judgment going out in the rain, some good instincts must have kicked in once he was in Naeole’s hands. Television footage of the spectacular rescue shows the dog perfectly still, giving the firefighter no trouble whatsoever.
“I’m glad he was very cooperative,” Naeole told NBC4. “He did great. I think he was beginning to enjoy the ride.”
Moreno, Bruno’s owner, watched the rescue with horror.
“I started flipping the channels and I saw Bruno’s rescue going on and … oh, my God, my heart was pounding, my kids were crying, and everybody was excited,” she told NBC4.
Naeole reckons he’s rescued some 200 people in his career, but few of his rescue operations received as much public attention as this one.
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