COLUMBUS, Ind. – Columbus Animal Care Services requested assistance from the Columbus Fire Department (CFD) Thursday afternoon after a dog became stranded on a sandbar on the Flatrock River. Firefighters were sent to US 31, just north of Washington Street, at 12:30 p.m.
When crews arrived, they saw the dog on a large sandbar surrounded by water. Animal Care Services had already been there for about 45 minutes. While CFD orchestrated a rescue plan, the dog was seen twice entering the water for brief periods before returning to the sandbar after each attempt to swim across the swift-moving water.
Three firefighters walked to the riverbank near where the animal was standing on the sandbar. One of them donned a water rescue dry suit and walked across waist-high water to reach the dog. After coaxing the dog to move closer to its rescuer, it was finally secured and carried across the current.
The dog, a one-year-old boxer named Kobe, was soon reunited with his owner above on the bridge, who said the canine had been missing since 10:30 the night before.