Dolphin alert saves life of dog

An 11-year-old Doberman trapped for more than 15 hours in a canal off South Bahama Avenue on Marco Island in Florida owes his life to a dolphin that splashed and made a ruckus until a nearby homeowner responded. Turbo, belonging to Cindy Burnett of Dogwood Drive, slipped through an open fence gate on Sunday, Feb. 20, sometime after dark. At sometime during the night, he is thought to have fallen into the canal.

Just before lunch, police received a 911 call from a South Bahama resident who said she'd rescued a dog from a canal after she'd heard and seen a dolphin making a "lot of noise," Burnett said. The woman Cindy Burnett she'd found Turbo in a corner of the canal. At that stage, the dog had been able to stand in some sand because of a low tide.



Police called Burnett to tell her the dog had been found, and Burnett rushed down to the area. She had been preparing some posters asking people to look out for her pet. "He was shivering, and dehydrated, and he had some cuts on his legs I guess from trying to jump out," Burnett said. She took him home, gave him an electrolyte drink and let him rest until he regained his strength.

Burnett said she forgot to get the neighbour's name. "I'm so grateful to her," she said. "She told me the dolphin had attracted her attention to Turbo by splashing, making noises and generally causing a ruckus in the water. That's when she saw him (Turbo) in the canal. I think it's just a miracle," Burnett said. "I'm so thankful to those people."

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