In 2022, a Tucson woman pulled off something seemingly impossible. The unnamed woman was working by a canal near Yuma when her dog fell in. She dove into the canal to save him, but it soon became a fight to save both of their lives.
For 18 straight hours, the woman managed to cling to a tree as the strong current relentlessly tugged at her exhausted body. But she did it while holding onto her 55-pound dog, too, making her survival even more incredible.
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Luckily, a train conductor saw the woman struggling and called for help.
"The will to survive is what makes this a great story," says Sergeant Juan Salcido, who was first on the scene. "Her body told the story of her constant fight," he said. "She had abrasions to her arms and legs. She had a sunburn. She looked exhausted to the point she couldn't stand on her two feet."
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Salcido also spoke to the fact that the woman didn't have much more fight left in her. "She made the statement to me and I know to deputies she was about to give up until she heard our sirens," he explained.
Amazingly, she did survive, and though her body was badly beaten up from those 18 hours in the water, she suffered no major injuries. Now she's at home recovering with her grateful dog.
