Some moments seem destined to happen.
One man set out for his regular jog along Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, never imagining that his run would end with saving a life.
On a breezy January morning, as the wind carried its usual sounds, something unusual caught his attention. He stopped abruptly.
Scanning the area, he noticed it: beneath a cluster of rocks, a pair of sorrowful eyes stared back at him.
The Rescue Team Had To Move Quickly
Though startled, the jogger acted quickly, contacting Animal Care & Control San Francisco. A dog was trapped under the rocks, and with the tide expected to rise, time was critical.
“It is beyond lucky that we even got this call,” the ACCSF team wrote.
The jogger provided dispatchers with the exact location, and animal control officer Carlos Ortega was sent immediately.
By the time Ortega arrived, the jogger had already left, but thanks to the clear directions, locating the dog was simple.
Ortega couldn’t determine how she had ended up wedged in such a tight space, but he carefully shifted the heavy rocks and freed her without injury.
The ACCSF team later suggested she may have “dislodged a large rock, fell in, and the rock rolled on top.”
Throughout the ordeal, the frightened dog trembled silently. Once freed, Ortega realized she was a Springer Spaniel. Gentle and affectionate, she leaned into him as if to say, “Thank you.”
A Lost Pup Named Gwen
A microchip scan revealed her name was Gwen. Ortega drove her straight to her home in Noe Valley, San Francisco, where she was reunited with her family.
Her owners explained that Gwen had slipped out earlier that morning. Despite searching, they hadn’t been able to find her. She had wandered too far, ending up trapped beneath the rocks until the jogger’s intervention.
Finally, Gwen was safe again, embraced by her family and free from fear.
A Rescue To Remember
Though Ortega had carried out many rescues before, this one stood out.
Saving Gwen was a moment he knew he would never forget, especially knowing how differently the day could have ended if she hadn’t been freed in time.
What mattered most was that Gwen was back home, warm and loved, far from what could have been the darkest day of her life.