‘Frozen puppy’ finds forever home in Florida after rescue from under bridge

A puppy’s story could have ended in tragedy but instead received a happy ending, with the pit bull finding her forever home in Florida.

“River,” as she’s been named, was found by animal control officers Jan. 18 under the Seabreeze Bridge in Daytona Beach, Fla., on a day where temperatures dipped to a high of only 6 C and a low of -2 C.

Officers James Lee and John Pearson gave the puppy “a proverbial second lease on life,” the police department posted on its Facebook the next day.

Video posted to Facebook on Thursday of the January incident shows River shivering as Pearson and Lee attempt to warm her up, rubbing her, holding her up to the sun streaming into their vehicle, and Pearson holding her in his arms while wiping her down with a towel.

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Pearson continues to hold River, placing his hand on her head to try and give more warmth to the chilly pup, before saying she’s “starting to warm up a little bit.”

After a few minutes of holding the puppy, who whines as she’s held, the two officers swap and Lee holds onto her to continue trying to keep her warm.

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Two weeks ago the police department posted photos of River, saying there were two holds for adoption and she was “on her way to perfect health.”

It wasn’t until this past Monday that River found her forever home when the police department posted on Facebook the “beautiful, spunky puppy” was nursed back to health by Halifax Humane Society and had been adopted.

And the lucky new mother? Daytona Beach Police Officer Kera Cantrell, who police say kept visiting River as she recovered and “fell in love with this little canine and the feeling was mutual.”