Florida chihuahua named Tinkerbell rescued after 40 minutes in bay

Saleen Martin, USA TODAY
·2 min read
13

She may not have wings like her namesake, but a Florida chihuahua named Tinkerbell managed to survive 40 minutes in a body of water after going overboard from her owner's boat.

Marine Patrol received a call at about 7:50 p.m. on Feb. 17 about a man and his dog who fell into the water outside a yacht club, said Michael Skinner, an officer with the Sarasota Police Department.

"Fire Rescue saved the adult man right away," the Sarasota Police Department posted on Facebook a few days after the incident. "Sweet Tinkerbell was in the water for 40 minutes when our officers rescued her."

Skinner has been in touch with the dog and her owner, who has a shoulder injury. They're doing well, he said.

Sharks: Frozen shark washes up on Cape Cod beach after polar vortex

Animal rescue: Watch these strangers bring dog to safety in harrowing rescue operation

How did officers make the rescue?

Skinner, who found the dog, was initially confused when he heard it was a chihuahua.

"The owner was transported to the hospital with a shoulder injury and the wife had gone with him," he told USA TODAY, noting that people at the marina and friends were looking for the dog.

Skinner spotted Tinkerbell about 15 minutes into the search, he said.

"I just see this little head above the water and I'm like 'No way,'" he recalled.

He called out to her and once he was close enough, petted her back to calm her down.

"She's kind of like looking at me like 'Really ... let's just get me out of the water' and I just reached out and grabbed her and pulled her out."

Tinkerbell was found perched on an old concrete piling that had been cut off at the top, just above the surface of the water, Skinner said.

"She actually climbed on the oysters that were growing on that concrete pile that have been there for years," he said.

Skinner said colleagues have given him some pretty funny nicknames since rescuing Tinkerbell, including "Captain Hook" or "Officer Peter Pan."

He has been in law enforcement for 17 years and spent 7 as a marine patrol officer.

"I think last year, we responded to approximately 40 calls for for wildlife," he said. "This is, I think, truly my first pet call."

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida officer rescues chihuahua Tinkerbell after 40 minutes at sea