Tiny dog swept out to sea rescued by Long Beach lifeguard in viral video
The owner thanked Chase McColl for his act of heroism in saving Tofu the dog
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chase McColl, a marine safety officer with the Long Beach Fire Department, appeared on Fox News Channel's "America Reports" Tuesday to discuss his recent rescue of a small dog stranded in the Pacific Ocean.
Tofu the dog had been swept up by the current and was paddling way far from shore on Saturday and had to be saved by rescue board. Little Tofu appeared on the show in the lifeguard's arms during an interview with host Sandra Smith.
"Okay, so what happened when you were life guarding and you all of a sudden saw this tiny little pup out at sea? What did you do?" Smith asked McColl.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McColl recalled a concerned member of the public notifying him that a little dog had been loose in the beach parking lot and then began swimming in the water.
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Marine Safety Officer Chase McColl saved a puppy who was stranded in the Pacific Ocean. (Credit Long Beach Fire Department)
"We hopped in the lifeguard truck and pulled up to the area where they spotted the dog. It's probably about 200 to 300 yards offshore, just swimming straight out," he recalled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So I suited up in my wetsuit. Grab my paddleboard. And along with the help of Marine Safety officer Devon Beebe, she was using binoculars to kind of guide me to the area where Tofu was swimming," he continued, noting that the water temperature off the California coast was about 56 degrees that day.
McColl said this was his first time saving a puppy.
"These pictures are amazing. I know the owners are so very grateful," Smith told the hero, whose rescue was caught on video and quickly went viral.
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"You know, I wish Tofu could talk because I'm sure she would be thanking you profusely," she said.
McColl said that he met Tofu's owner and that they thanked him.
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"I just met the owner today for the first time and they're super thankful and happy we were able to save their pup and bring them back to him," he said.