A dog named Rio gave Cape Coral firefighters a chase through the city’s water infrastructure on Saturday, swimming into a canal off Four Mile Cove Parkway before ducking into a storm drain, where crews eventually cornered him with a catch pole and pulled him to safety.
The rescue began after a couple spotted the dog struggling in the canal, according to Gulf Coast News and Weather. Once firefighters arrived, Rio made his way out of the water and into a nearby storm drain rather than toward the crews trying to help him. Firefighters positioned one member at the canal entrance and another at the far end of the drain system, then opened the storm drain cover to get eyes on the dog, per the outlet’s report citing the Cape Coral Fire Department.
Rio did not make it easy. Instead of coming toward the opening, he kept moving further into the storm drain, according to the same account. Firefighters ultimately used a dog catch pole to pull him up and out, ending the ordeal and reuniting Rio with his owners.
A City Built on Water, and the Hazards That Come With It
The scene off Four Mile Cove Parkway is a familiar one for Cape Coral crews. The roadway runs through the southeast part of the city alongside the 365-acre Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve and waterfront neighborhoods threaded by canals, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cape Coral is home to more than 400 miles of navigable canals, more than any other city on Earth, a distinction that has earned it the nickname “Waterfront Wonderland,” per background compiled on the city’s development since the artificial canal system began in the late 1950s…