A small dog that vanished on the Fourth of July was pulled from the San Francisco Bay on Thursday, July 16, after being spotted far from shore near Cooley Landing Park in East Palo Alto.
The response involved four agencies, a drone, and an airboat before the curly-haired black dog was back on dry land and reunited with its family.
A witness at the park called 911 at 3:26 p.m. after watching the dog sprint into the water and paddle away from shore. East Palo Alto police officers arrived first. Menlo Park firefighters then used binoculars to locate the animal and deployed a drone to pinpoint its position in the open water.
Drone footage captured by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District shows the dog paddling vigorously about half a mile out while seagulls swooped overhead. Crew members aboard Menlo Fire's Airboat 77 motored out to retrieve it.
Back on shore, firefighters wrapped the shivering dog in a coat and checked it for injuries. The animal had an open wound on its left cheek from a seagull attack, according to Menlo Fire.
The Redwood City Fire Department also assisted at the scene.
Once stabilized, the dog was turned over to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, the nonprofit that serves San Mateo and northern Santa Clara counties, including the Palo Alto area. Staff there identified the dog's owners and reunited the family with their pet, which had been missing for nearly two weeks. Residents who lose a pet can reach the organization's lost-and-found line at 650-340-7022.
Battalion Chief Mike Stahl of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District praised the humane society's role. "They were truly a phenomenal partner in this because not only did they come and care for the dog, but they then followed up with us to let us know how it ended up," Stahl said.
Cooley Landing Park sits on a peninsula at the eastern end of Bay Road, directly adjacent to Palo Alto's Baylands Nature Preserve to the south. The park opened in 2012 and draws walkers, cyclists, and birdwatchers from both East Palo Alto and Palo Alto.
How the dog ended up at the park or why it bolted into the Bay remains unclear. Its name and breed have not been publicly disclosed.





