The story of Heidi, the female German Shepherd that saved her 63-year-old owner, Lance, from a capsized boat truly proves that dogs are humans’ best friends.
This magnificent GSD paddled her soul out to find assistance for her owner who was trapped in Moreton Bay after his boat capsized.
Luckily, no one was seriously injured as Queensland Water Police reacted immediately after they found Heidi drifting in the water. This heart-wrenching story from Brisbane, Australia soon went viral and touched the hearts of millions.
Heidi Was Treading Water For 11 Straight Hours To Find Help
Lance and his family dog, the female German Shepherd, Heidi, went on a boat trip in Moreton Bay. Unfortunately, they were caught in a storm when the boat stopped working, which caused swamping, and the boat eventually capsized.
As the man didn’t notify anyone about his boat trip, no one suspected that he might’ve been in a boat accident.
Realizing the situation, Heidi paddled away from the boat and started swimming in an attempt to find assistance. She continuously swam for eleven straight hours without hesitation until the Queensland Water Police saved her.
Brisbane Water Police Reacted After Finding Heidi
Heidi was noticed by a fisherman next to several other items from the boat, including a tackle box and a fuel tank. He immediately contacted the police, who rescued the dog from the water and subjected it to a prompt medical exam.
It was a true wonder that Heidi managed to stay alive, taking into consideration that she drifted in the water for almost half of the day. Luckily, the Brisbane police reacted timely and the poor dog was saved successfully.
“This honestly is an amazing result, especially after finding Heidi swimming by herself through that storm we had the night before for eleven hours. No assistance, no lifejackets.”
The water police made sure Heidi got food and rest. They continued the search, which involved the coast guard, several police vessels, a jet ski, and a helicopter.
After more than three hours, the skipper, Lance, was found clinging to a piece of his boat. Luckily, he had no injuries, and he was successfully saved, all thanks to his brave doggo, Heidi.
Heidi Was Declared An Honorary Police Dog
After saving her owner’s life that day in Moreton Bay, Heidi received the honorary title of police dog by the Queensland Water Police Department.
Heidi was directly responsible for saving a man’s life, which is why the police were more than happy to pay respect to this brave dog.
“Heidi did save Lance’s life, so without Heidi, we wouldn’t have known we had to search for Lance.”
A Kindly Reminder To All Boaties
After successfully saving Lance and Heidi from the sea, Sergeant Jay Bairstow kindly reminded all future boaties to take measures before taking off in the sea.
This story from Australia serves as a good reminder to always notify people or family members when you’re about to go out in the water, so they can immediately reach out to police if something happens.
After all, not all people have Heidi to come to their rescue.
