Riverside County Animal Services Sgt. Miguel Hernandez responded to a call from a Coachella Valley Water District employee early this morning. Garrett Galindo of the water district told Sgt. Hernandez about a dog trapped in a section of the Coachella Canal, between Madison and Clinton streets, just north of Highway 111, in the city of Indio.
The call came in at about 6 a.m.
The 3-year-old German shepherd was clinging to a side of the canal when Sgt. Hernandez arrived on scene. The water district employee and the officer worked as a team to place a lariat around the dog. The dog resisted the rescue attempt once, then a second time, and started to swim. It was on the third successful looping that the two men were able to safely pull the dog from the precarious predicament.
The dog was just a few feet away from a section of the canal used to siphon out debris. Had she been sucked into that area, she likely would have perished.
After the dog was back on dry land, she shook of the Coachella Canal's waters and excitedly followed Sgt. Hernandez to his animal control truck.
It was uncertain how she ended up in the canal and it was also unknown how long she had been in the water. She had clung to the side of the canal long enough to damage her paws. They were bloody and raw when Sgt. Hernandez gave her a closer look at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. His colleagues with the county's Veterinary Services Division examined and treated her.
The great news for this 3-year-old gal? She has a microchip and the owner has already been contacted. They plan to reunite with Lola today at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus.
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