Coast Guard stumbles onto dog swimming across vast Pamlico Sound off North Carolina
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel patrolling North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound found a dog paddling in the middle of nowhere Saturday, May 14.
The rescue was nothing short of miraculous, given a lone dog is tough to spot in a body of water that is nearly 100 miles long and 25 miles wide in places.
Coast Guard officials say the crew had been alerted that a boater “lost their dog Myla overboard in Pamlico Sound,” so the odd sight didn’t come as a complete shock.
“Shortly after, look outs ... spotted movement on the calm waters and upon closer inspection saw a dog swimming towards the boat,” the Coast Guard reported.
“The crew made way towards the distressed dog and hauled Myla on board. After a quick inspection to ensure no injuries, the exhausted pup was given VIP treatment by the crew and was eventually reunited with its owners.”
Details of how long Myla had been in the water were not released.
Video shows the dog was wide-eyed and likely in a state of panic when she reached the side of a Coast Guard vessel based out of Hatteras Inlet.
It took two guardsmen to pull her aboard, and photos show she was eventually surrounded by crewmen who showered the dog with attention.
“We want to congratulate Myla on being a good girl and an amazing doggie swimmer!” the Coast Guard wrote.
The video, posted May 15 on Facebook, had been viewed 139,000 times and gotten more than 1,800 reactions and comments as of May 16. Many called the dog “amazing” for its endurance.
“An incredible rescue of an outstanding fur baby,” Barb Drexler wrote on Facebook.
Pamlico Sound is “the largest embayed estuary in the world,” according to The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership.
“The sound is nearly 100 miles from north to south and more than 25 miles wide in some places,” the partnership says.
“Indeed, early European explorers searching for a shortcut to the Orient mistook the immense body of water for the Pacific Ocean.”
This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Coast Guard stumbles onto dog swimming across vast Pamlico Sound off North Carolina."