FWC Officer Rescues Husky Trapped Under Key Largo Dock During Cold Snap

FWC Officer Aviezer Garcia waded into a cold Key Largo canal on Sunday, Feb. 1, to pull a Husky named King from beneath a dock where the dog had been trapped for nearly an hour as the tide rose around him.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, working alongside the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, reached King before the rising water could do worse. Garcia personally entered the canal to reach the dog, who was pinned under the dock structure and unable to free himself. The rescue was captured on video.

The weekend had brought a punishing stretch of weather to the Keys, with very cold temperatures, high winds and choppy seas battering the islands. Conditions in the canal were far from ideal for a swim, voluntary or otherwise.

"Shout out to Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer Aviezer Garcia for getting in a canal and pulling a trapped dog from the cold water," the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a public statement praising the rescue.

King was exhausted when brought out of the water, but his owner was close by and the reunion was swift. A sheriff's spokesman confirmed the outcome was a good one: "The dog's owner was nearby and the dog appeared to be fine."

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office posted photos of Garcia and the dog to social media, drawing attention to the officer's willingness to enter frigid water to reach an animal in distress. The images show Garcia in the canal during the rescue and afterward, alongside the Husky he pulled to safety.