Harbor Patrol, others go all out to locate visitor’s service dog
By morning on Aug. 10, Billy LeCroy had resigned himself to the devastating notion that his service dog and friend was likely gone forever. His beloved German Shepherd, Zoe, had gone missing from his boat in Avalon Harbor some time during the night on Aug. 9.
LeCroy had returned to his boat around 10 p.m. to find that Zoe had forced open a window and escaped into the night water. LeCroy called the Harbor Patrol and they began a search of the water in the harbor.
They also had officers on shore searching along the coastline in case Zoe had made it to shore. They searched through the night, but as the sun rose, LeCroy was feeling his sense of dread.
“I was in bad shape,” LeCroy said
Then the phone rang.
“Someone said, ‘is this Billy,’” Le Croy said. “We think we found your dog,” the voice on the other end said.
Le Croy’s immediate question was, is she alive? The answer was yes.
Zoe had reportedly gotten tangled in a mooring near a yacht, but had managed to get one of her legs over a line and bite into a paddle board and keep a hold to stay alive. The voice said they were bringing the dog back to LeCroy.
LeCroy said the Harbor Patrol officer who handed him his dog, seemed to be almost as emotional as he was. The boat Zoe was clinging to, was reportedly the last boat moored near the Casino end of the Harbor. Had she missed it, she would likely have been lost at sea.
LeCroy and his friend had gone out searching that night. He also noted that the shuttle boat driver also kept and eye out for the missing dog as well. The effort of the Harbor Patrol overwhelmed LeCroy.
“They went way beyond what you would expect, it was wonderful,” LeCroy said.
LeCroy currently lives in Oxnard. He is a veteran and Zoe is now a psychiatric service dog that helps other veterans at the VA. LeCroy rescued her from a rescue shelter in Yorba Linda, when she was just six months old. Now 8 years old, Zoe has been a support dog for LeCroy since and even helped him get through a very difficult divorce.
The two have sailed from Seattle to Oxnard several times. Zoe is familiar with boats and always wears a life jacket on board. That night, LeCroy had removed it for her comfort, but left a small, tight window slightly open for fresh air. He didn’t imagine she’d be able to force it open.
LeCroy had only been to Catalina once before, many years ago. They were delivering a boat from Seattle and made a stop at the island.
Despite not being regular visitors, news of Zoe’s exploits spread quickly, and islanders responded. LeCroy got a call from a woman who gave him the number of the veterinarian’s office to make sure Zoe could get checked out. Also, LeCroy could not remember the shop that called, but Zoe was presented with a scarf with “I survived Catalina,” embroidered on it.
Before returning to Oxnard, Billy and Zoe made a trip to the Harbor Patrol Station, so she could thank the officers who searched through the night for her. It was a happy reunion for all. And Zoe is safely back in Oxnard.
“She’s doing great,” LeCroy said.
