Dogged determination sees Rosie rescued
Rosie the Labrador was rescued from where she had been trapped in floodwaters under the Taylor River bridge. Photo: Supplied.
A much-loved labrador presumed dead after being swept away by floods has been rescued by firefighters three days after her disappearance.
During Labour weekend’s floods, Rosie was washed away by the force of the flooded Taylor River.
Her distraught Blenheim family reported her as deceased to Animal Control.
But a 111-call to Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade saw Rosie, who had somehow survived in a small air pocket, finally reunited with her delighted family.
Just after 5pm on Wednesday, Blenheim Volunteer Fire Service members Craig Stephens and Gordon Munn got the call for help.
“We met two members of the public who said they’d heard barking without seeing a dog, from underneath the planks of the bridge while out for an afternoon walk,” Craig says.
“While we were talking, we too heard barking from beneath, so we grabbed tools from the trucks to see what the best course forward was.”
Water levels were still quite high and flood debris had caught up under the Beaver Road footbridge making access tricky, Craig explains.
“There was quite a crowd by the time we figured out about where she was and figured the best move was cutting a hole in the bridge to lift her out.”
“When we lifted Rosie, she was quite relaxed about the whole ordeal – probably the most relaxed one on the scene to be honest,” Craig says.
“For Rosie to not just survive being swept away in floodwaters but also be wedged in under an overflowing bridge, survive for three days and come out as happy as anything is quite an amazing story.”
While Craig and Gordon say the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Service respond to a huge range of calls, Rosie’s survival story is one of the most remarkable they can remember.
They’ve responded to animal calls called for cats up trees, cattle on roads, dogs in cars, even birds in trees before – but barking coming from beneath a bridge was a new one.
“Rosie was really well hidden so we still couldn’t spot exactly where she was, but she must have got stuck right in there in some air pocket,” Gordon says.
“Considering how high debris was on the bridge from the river level rising over the weekend, I honestly couldn’t believe it when her head popped through.”
Animal Control officers were called to check Rosie over and check for a microchip.
It was then the firefighters discovered she had been reported missing, presumed dead three days before.
“The whole story has honestly blown our minds, and seeing how happy this story has ended up making not just us, but Rosie’s family and everyone who was watching on is just a pleasure to have been a part of,” Gordon says.
Having Rosie delivered home safely to her ‘incredibly grateful’ family upstream, Gordon says that stories like Rosie’s reminds volunteers firefighters just why they put their hand up for the role.
“A lot of the crew have dogs at home and know that they’re basically family.
“We get called to a lot of calls with less happier endings so delivering Rosie home safely really has created the best feeling for the whole station.”