The swift water rescue of a man and his dog in Texas Friday morning may have saved both lives – twice.
Edward Emmerich told CBS that he fell on hard times two years ago and for the past seven months he and his four-year-old Belgian Malinois, Duke, have relied on his trained survival skills to live in the woods.
“My dog, he’s my best friend. He’s the only thing I got,” Emmerich said. “Everybody wanted me to give Duke away and go into a shelter, but I couldn’t do that.”
The dog owner explained that the two were camping comfortably near Wilson Creek in McKinney when his training was outmatched by a rush of water coming too quick to avoid.
“Even with my experience and everything that I know, it didn’t really matter too much at that point,” he continued. “Nature doesn’t care what you know.”
Emmerich, who works in construction, used a cellphone to contact 911 but had trouble relaying his location. CBS reports that firefighters used pings from the phone to determine the location.
Edward and Duke then had to swim approximately 1500 feet from their encampment to reach the rescue team. Images from the rescue show Duke embracing one firefighter with a big wet kiss once they reached safety.
Their lives had been saved – and then something unexpected happened.
After the incident Emmerich discovered that a client from a construction job had offered to let him and his best friend stay at a home being refurbished. The client also happens to be a dog rescuer.
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