FOLLOW US

Seamus, an Australian shepherd was swept away by California floods only to be saved and reunited with his owner hours later thanks to the local dedicated fire department. And an Apple AirTag.

On January 16 Emilie Brill, was out for a daily walk with Seamus when the dog got away from her. 

Seamus quickly found his way to a flood control basin near the intersections of I-215 and I-10 in San Bernardino, California, on Monday, according to San Bernardino County Fire officials and ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC.

“He got away from me, and he just went down into this drainage and, you know, the water was going so fast, I think all it took was one paw in that water and he was gone,” Brill told KABC. 

She called emergency services when Seamus was swept away in the fast-moving floodwaters.

According to a statement from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, crews began searching the area for Seamus.

And an employee from a local RV facility told them he “heard a dog barking in the nearby channel and witnessed the dog floating down the channel.” 

Tracking the dog by his barking the RV employee noticed that Seamus was floating in the river stuck into a tube. This was an access tube adjacent to the river and the dangerous floodwaters approximately a mile from the spot where he was swept away.

But thanks to Seamus’ Apple AirTag and conventional ID tag, firefighters were able to locate a sewer drain, opened it up, and said they saw a very tired -- but thankful -- dog staring directly back at them.

“Firefighters quickly made access to the dog, bringing him up the ladder to safety,” said San Bernardino Fire. “After assessing the dog, he seemed uninjured and in good spirits.”

Seamus was reunited with his owner.

Said San Bernardino Fire: “While we would have loved to make Seamus a fire station pup, glad we could reunite the dog back with his owners.”

“I was just blown away by that level of response from our emergency services and just really grateful that there are people that understand that dogs are family members,” Brill said after Seamus was rescued.