WASHINGTON — A Labrador puppy survived a serious ordeal after falling off a ferry in Italy and dog-paddling for several hours before being rescued by another boat.
It happened late last month, when a boat with six student sailors from Yacht Club Canottieri Savola found the puppy swimming in the water in the Gulf of Naples, Il Repubblica reports.
They had trouble getting close enough to the dog to pull it aboard, and at first the currents pushed the puppy away. Director Massimiliano Cappa told Il Repubblica that the puppy was crying and “visibly exhausted,” its legs “almost paralyzed from the cold.”
On the second try, one of the sailors was able to pull the puppy out of the water by the scruff of its neck. Another sailor cradled the dog in her hands and under her coat to warm it up. They called for a rescue boat, which brought the dog to shore and trained a hair dryer on it. The dog was reunited with its owner and is doing well.
The Daily Mail says that the puppy had been reported as having slipped out of its collar and fallen off a hydrofoil ferry, which continued on to its destination. Why the ferry didn’t stop to look for the dog is unclear.
