Dog Pulled From River, Iguana In Ceiling: Cape Coral Animal Rescues

CAPE CORAL, FL — Critters that have gotten themselves into difficult situations have kept the Cape Coral Police Department and Cape Coral Fire Rescue busy lately.

The two agencies worked together to pull a dog treading water to safety on Sunday. That same day, the fire department were called to remove an uninvited guest from the ceiling of a home damaged during Hurricane Ian — a feisty iguana. (Watch videos of both animal rescues below.)

The dog, spotted in the Caloosahatchee River along the 1000 block of Dolphin Drive, was likely treading water for several hours before it was rescued, police shared in a Facebook post.

Rescuers used rope and animal control poles to pull the dog from the river, the video shows.

The pup was brought to Lee County Domestic Animal Services, where it’s being treated and cared for.

A resident of the area, Carol Foster, heard the dog overnight, but wasn’t aware that it needed help until the morning.

“We heard it at night, probably around 12 or one-ish, but we didn’t think any more about it,” she told NBC 2. “Then I got out to see if it was OK, and I found it in the river!”

The dog was growling and “obviously frightened and cold” when she found it in the river, Foster added.

Meanwhile, firefighters on Engine 5 safely removed an iguana from a Cape Coral home and returned it to the trees outside.

“The opposite of the traditional cat rescue!” the department shared in a Facebook post.

A video shows firefighters grabbing the lizard as it clung to materials covering holes in the hurricane-damaged ceiling.

Watch video of the dog rescue below:

Watch video of firefighters removing an iguana from a hurricane-damaged home below: