FLFR Engine 47 rescued this sweet German shepherd from a canal early this morning. They brought her to the fire house where they fed her. FLPD tracked down her owners – all the way in St Cloud, FL. They say they’re on the way to claim her! pic.twitter.com/G39tEy4D1Z— FLFR PIO (@FLFR411) August 5, 2025
A German shepherd rescued from a canal by Florida firefighters was reunited with her family — who said the pet had been missing for six years.
The Fort Lauderdale Fire Department said crews responded to a 911 call Aug. 5 and ended up fishing the canine, named Bella, out of a canal.
“Our crew from Engine 47 responded to the scene and safely removed her from the water. Luckily, she was standing on a ledge and only partially submerged, making the grab easy,” Frank Guzman, the department’s Public Information officer, told People.com. “After the crew brought Bella to their fire house, she was given food and water and allowed to rest.”
Bella was scanned for a microchip, and officials discovered she had been adopted from Broward Animal Care and Adoption by the Nicholson family in 2018.
The family said they were forced to temporarily move into a hotel when their house caught fire some time later, and Bella was placed into the care of a family friend, who gave the dog away without the family’s knowledge or permission.
Lisa and Jason Nicholson made the 200-mile drive from their St. Cloud home to Fort Lauderdale with daughters Jaylianna, 11, and Liberty, 18, in tow.
The family had an emotional reunion with their long-lost pet at a Fort Lauderdale park.
“Hugging Bella again felt like our family was made whole again — like being reunited with a long-lost friend,” Lisa Nicholson said. “We had a welcome party with a bunch of doggie treats and new toys. We gave her a steak and she loved it! She also got a new doggie bed.”
Nicholson said she hopes Bella’s story will inspire other families to have their pets microchipped.
“Bella was microchipped. And so anybody out there that does not believe that they work, they truly, truly work,” she told ABC News.
