Miracle At Sea: Dog Rescued Miles From Shore And Reunited With Owners

August 2, 2024

Today's good news story comes from Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

In an extraordinary rescue, a dog named Ellie was saved after being discovered swimming a mile and a half off Fort Myers Beach. The dramatic rescue unfolded during a dinner cruise, where a couple first noticed the struggling pup between Fort Myers Beach and Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel.

dog rescued from sea
Ellie / Credit: WINK News

Terry Johns, captain of the Sanibel Harbor Princess, was among those who spotted Ellie.

"I looked out and saw something in the water, then heard people shouting, 'dog, dog, dog'," Johns recounted.

Quickly responding to the distress call, Johns and his crew, along with passengers, mobilized to rescue the stranded dog.

Johns speculated on how Ellie might have ended up so far from shore.

"Our currents are pretty strong this time of year. She might have been washed off, but it's more likely she fell off someone's boat, and they didn't realize she was missing," he explained.

Once the crew brought Ellie back to shore, they took her to a veterinarian, who discovered a microchip that unfortunately wasn't working properly. Determined to help find her family, Johns reached out to WINK News to share the incredible rescue story. The news segment caught the attention of Ellie's owners, Ben and Kathleen Baker, leading to a joyful reunion.

Ellie's owners shared their harrowing experience. One moment they were playing with her on their boat, and the next, she had vanished.

"I was navigating under the Sanibel bridge and stopped playing with her to watch the traffic. After we passed the bridge and entered the Gulf, my wife asked, 'Where's Ellie?' I immediately put the boat in neutral, but she was nowhere to be found. We searched in a zig-zag pattern," said Ben Baker.

The Bakers searched tirelessly for hours, well into the night, until their boat ran out of fuel. They began to fear the worst.

"I just thought that was it. I'm 72 years old and have probably cried more in the last 18 hours than I have in years," Baker admitted.

Their despair turned to joy when they saw Ellie on WINK News.

"You started the news at 5:30 with her [Ellie], and that's when we made some phone calls," Ben said.

Watch the news video below.