A gulf coast Florida dog was saved from drowning by two dolphins eager to help their land cousin after the dog apparently fell into the water and was unable to get out of a canal.  Cindy Burnett, from Marco Island, FL, said that she accidentally left her gate open and her 11-year old Doberman, Turbo, escaped late one Sunday evening in February.

After discovering her missing dog, Burnett and her sons began the search for him.  “I searched and searched and called his name. I drove through this street at least five or six times,” she said.  The next morning, a neighbor, Sam Dalessandro was stocking his boat when he heard persistent splashing in the nearby canal.  When he looked to see what the commotion was about, he saw Turbo trapped in the canal surrounded by two dolphins.  The good neighbor called 911 and his wife, Audrey Dalessandro jumped in the water to save the dog. Firefighters showed up to help lift Turbo to rescue. Turbo was likely trapped in the canal for about 15 hours.  He was exhausted but was checked out and got a clean bill of health. The dolphins swam away once the dog was safe.

“He was shivering and a lot of distress,” Burnett said.

Burnett credits the dolphins with saving her beloved pooch.  “If he had to tread water all night long, I know he wouldn’t have been able to,” Burnett said.  She stated he could have been trapped for much longer if the dolphins had not been able to get the Dalessandro’s attention.

If it wasn’t for that dolphin, that dog would be in doggie heaven right now because we would have never seen it,” Dalessandro said told WZVN ABC7.

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About the author

Erin Chavez
Erin Whitney-Chavez has been writing professionally since 2009. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from St. Bonaventure University and received a Master of Arts in mental-health counseling from Argosy University. Erin Whitney-Chavez is a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in the mental-health field for more than 10 years.

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