A Brevard County family’s dog was rescued from the Banana River Sunday thanks to some help from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office helicopter.
It happened around 4 p.m. off Millford Point just north of SR 520 in Merritt Island.
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office helicopter was flying back from a call to its hangar at the Merritt Island Airport when deputies asked the pilot to help find the missing yellow lab which had fallen off a boat and was in the water for at least half an hour.
Minutes after the helicopter arrived overhead; the crew spotted the dog swimming in shallow water near a small island.
Moments later the dog started swimming back out into the river.
The pilot was able to direct the dog's owner to it and the man scooped him up and took him to safety.
“When the owners came he was better, but there were some people there, he was probably afraid, the helicopter was making a lot of noise, so he got a little disoriented,” said Chief Pilot John Coppola.
With a wave, the owner thanked the helicopter crew and they flew back to the airport.