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This amazing dog swam miles back to shore after her owner thought she was gone forever

lost dog; dog overboard; dog reunited

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

Monster finds her way home.

Imagine going fishing on your boat with your best four-legged friend but when you look for her to help you pull the net, she’s gone. That’s exactly what happened to Captain Keith “Kiwi” Soffes, a shrimp boat captain from Texas, who told his story to FOX 26 Houston. He went to look for Monster, his brown pit bull and co-captain when she didn’t come to help drag the nets and she was nowhere to be found, on or off the boat.

Being a pet parent can feel like a full-time job but that kind of companionship makes all of the mishaps and stressful moments worth it. Pets help to keep their owners entertained, though I don’t think this type of entertainment is what Monster’s dad had in mind. The shrimp boat captain said that once he realized Monster was missing he whipped the boat around to find her but had no luck. Soffes got choked up when he recalled the moment he thought he wouldn’t see his dog again.

According to Soffes, the boat was about five miles out from shore so he didn’t see how his dog—who wasn’t wearing a life vest at the time—could make it that far. He shared the story on Facebook, hoping by some miracle his sweet pooch made it to shore, but days went by without any word. This was the first time the duo had been separated for any amount of time, and Soffes was heartbroken.

Eventually, someone on social media recognized the dog and said she was at a local park. Someone else chimed in and said Monster was spotted swimming across the bay. This prompted Soffes to start going door to door looking for his best friend, who he said was afraid of the dark. Desperate to find Monster, Soffes offered a reward to anyone who could give him his dog back, and with that incentive his search finally came to a happy end.

Monster was tied to someone’s trailer and when she saw her dad, tears were shed and puppy kisses abounded. The athletic pooch now has a life vest for her next fishing trip and surely, Soffes won’t take his eyes off his co-captain. Hopefully Monster lives a long and happy life on dry land and keeps away from the edge of the boat.

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Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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Therapy in a Nutshell|YouTube

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via RDNE Stock project/Pexels, Neal Wellons/Flickr and Karolina Wv/Pexels

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