San Diego Fire Department lifeguards, specifically Garrett Smerdon and Jack Alldredge, recovered Sadie, a dog that spent approximately one hour adrift in San Diego Bay before being located about a half mile from shore and returned to her owners on the weekend of November 23-24, 2025.

The incident began when witnesses said the dog slipped away while her owners were inside watching a football match. Those onshore later reported seeing the animal floating in the water, first near Ocean Beach and then again closer to South Mission Beach as currents carried her across the bay.

Responders from the San Diego Fire Department reached Sadie after she had been in the water for about an hour. The department recorded the rescue, and said its crews handled the response from the initial location through return to land.

Witness accounts placed the dog first off Ocean Beach before she was located nearer to South Mission Beach, roughly a half mile offshore from the point where responders ultimately reached her. Fire department personnel recovered Sadie from the water and brought her back to shore, where she was reunited with her owners.

“We really wanted a good outcome, and we’re happy that Sadie was able to go home and, you know, survive this traumatic event,” the San Diego Fire Department said in a statement describing the rescue.

The department confirmed that crews carried out the full operation, locating the animal, conducting the retrieval and returning Sadie to her family on land. Officials characterized the reunion as a relief for the owners, who were described as visibly comforted when Sadie was returned to their care.

Local reporting noted the timing and circumstances of the event, including the hour Sadie spent in the bay and the approximate distance from shore where she was found. Coverage by ABC News included the department’s timeline and the detail that witnesses observed the animal drifting before responders reached her.

The sequence of events, as summarized by responding crews and witnesses, began with the dog slipping away while owners were occupied inside. Observers then tracked her movement in the bay, first near Ocean Beach and later nearer to South Mission Beach, until San Diego Fire Department crews were able to intercept and recover the animal.

After the retrieval, the department confirmed the pet’s successful reunion with its owners on land. Officials noted the rescue in department records and described the outcome as a positive conclusion to an incident that had prompted concern among witnesses and the family involved.

The case underscores the operational reach of San Diego Fire Department crews across the waterways of San Diego Bay. From the initial sighting to the final return to shore, the department said it maintained control of the response and ensured the dog was recovered and handed back to her owners.

Reporting on the rescue and its chronology is available through local media; Lifeguards Rescue Dog Swept Out to Sea near San Diego published an account that included the department’s timeline and other details surrounding the incident.

Sadie’s owners were reunited with their pet following the rescue, and the San Diego Fire Department documented the rescue in a Facebook video and official statement.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.