Washington County Animal Services Rescues Dog Trapped On Island

For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 14, 2010

Who do you call when there's a dog stranded on an island – with no food, water or shelter? In Washington County, it's the Animal Services Division.

"We got a call from a concerned citizen that the poor dog was stuck on a little island in a wetland. Sure enough, somehow the dog had found her way on to the island and couldn't get herself off," says Animal Services Manager Deborah Wood.

On 1/13/10, Animal Services quickly formulated a plan to save the stranded dog. The Bernese Mountain Dog was in a wetlands area owned by the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District. With assistance from Clean Water Services, Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, and the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Animal Services Officers Tim Locke and Kent Rohweder led the dog's rescue. They borrowed boats from the other agencies and made their way to the island where the dog was.

"The dog was a little scared at first. She relaxed and came up to me after a few minutes," says Officer Locke, who was able to gain the dog's trust and safely leash the dog. She then calmly rode to safety in the boat with Officer Rohweder. The dog was brought ashore, a little dirty and a little hungry, but otherwise in good shape.

Neighbors in the area surmise the dog was chasing geese or ducks that have been known to frequent the area.

The dog was not wearing a collar, and did not have any identification tags or a microchip. A citizen had reported the day before that his Bernese Mountain dog had gone missing, and reclaimed the dog shortly after she came into the shelter.

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