By Amanda Thomason March 14, 2022 at 1:23pm
You never know when you’ll be at the wrong place at the wrong time and end up needing help — but you also never know when you’ll be in the right place at the right time and be able to help someone.
For one dog owner, Sunday afternoon was the wrong time, and a canal in Cape Coral, Florida, was the wrong place. Somehow, the dog got into the water, and no one could retrieve it.
The fire department was called, and the Cape Coral Fire Department responded. Once on the scene, they spotted the dog and prepared to assist — but the dog swam away.
Then a man and his grandkids approached the first responders on their jet ski in the canal, and for them, the timing and location were perfect.
Matthew Ramuta, along with grandsons Jonathan and Henry Gannaway, asked if they could help and were able to spot and then keep an eye on the pup from the water, so the rescue team could move to a better spot.
The fire department shared the resulting story on their Facebook page, along with a photo of the day’s three heroes.
“This afternoon, Ladder 6 and Rescue 6 responded to a call of a dog in a canal,” the Cape Coral Fire Department posted.
“When firefighters arrived in the area and began search for the dog, a jet ski ridden by Matthew Ramuta and his grandsons, Jonathan and Henry Gannaway, happened by the area.
“They had not seen the dog but immediately volunteered to help search. Rescue 6 found the dog, but it swam away before firefighters could get to it. The jet ski occupants kept an eye on the dog while Ladder 6 repositioned to its new location and got a ladder in the water.
“The dog’s owner was on scene, and he elected to use the ladder to enter the water to get his dog, and, with some assistance, he was able to lift the dog out safely.”
Ramuta and his grandsons’ help was deeply appreciated by all involved, and they were even given a keepsake to remind them of their day on the water turned rescue mission.
“In recognition of the quick actions of this family that led directly to a positive outcome for the dog and its owners, firefighters presented each of them with a Community Recognition Coin,” the fire department’s post continued.
“Great job and thank you, Matthew, Jonathan, and Henry!”
“Way to go boys!” one person wrote in the comments. “You are heros.”
“This is beautiful!” another person wrote. “Now that’s having great neighbors!! Great job CCFD!”
“I am so so thankful for you guys!” one woman, who appeared to be an owner of the dog, commented. “Oliver is definitely thankful too.”
Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she’s strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.
As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn’t really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she’s had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children’s books with her husband, Edward.
Location
Austin, Texas
Languages Spoken
English und ein bißchen Deutsch
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Animals, Cooking