Cape Coral, FL, Firefighters Called to Rescue Dog Find It's a Coyote
On June 22, the Cape Coral Fire Department (CCFD) reported to a dog rescue in a canal in Britannia Lake, but the animal turned out to be a coyote.
According to CBS News 12, when firefighters attempted to rescue the animal, it swam from shore to shore. Eventually, the coyote crawled under a dock and bystander Denae Judd informed the firefighters of the location, leading to the rescue.
"Firefighters entered the water and were able to extract what turned out to be a coyote pup from the space," CCFD said in a statement. "It was exhausted from its ventures and unable to be released."
Judd received a Community Recognition Coin from the CCFD for her “assistance with this unique situation."
Photos and videos shared by the CCFD showed a firefighter removing the coyote pup from a beam beneath the dock.
Following the rescue, the animal was taken to a veterinary center, and they coordinated the coyote’s safe transfer to the Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife.
The CCFD said that a neighbor near the rescue site, “originally saw the coyote fall in the lake” and “jumped in after to try to get it.” This alerted others as to what was happening, leading to the 9-1-1 call.
"We weren't able to get a photo, but firefighters stopped by this afternoon to present him with a coin as well," the CCFD said.
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Ryan Baker
Associate Editor
Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.