Tracking collar helps dog owners find pup trapped on river bluff

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A family was able to rescue their dog trapped on a river after tracking it down using its collar.

OSCEOLA, Wis. (FOX 9) - A family from Osceola, Wisconsin is crediting an electronic collar for locating their two-year-old Siberian Husky, after she went missing Monday night.

Tyler and Brianna Furch say multiple fire departments responded after the tracking device on Mocha’s collar indicated she was in or near the St. Croix River.

"We were panicking because we saw her down by the river and then we didn’t see her move for a while so were concerned that she fell, hit her head, [or] fell into the river," said Brianna.

While Brianna waited for first responders to arrive at the boat launch, Tyler decided to head to the bluffs and try to locate the pup.

"It was saying she was on the water, then it was saying she was on the shore so I’m like – I’m just going to go down there," he recalled. "I knew I could get to her one way or another."

Eventually, he found her about 150 feet down, wedged between the cliff and a tree. Tyler said she was scratched up and afraid.

While the Osceola Fire Department was the first to arrive, low water levels prevented them from launching their boat. Lindstrom Fire provided mutual aid, using their airboat to get close to where Tyler and Mocha were. Tyler says due to where Mocha was located, he believes they wouldn’t have found her by boat alone.

"We’d most likely still be searching," said Tyler.

The Furchs say they are extremely grateful to the fire department, as well as the tracking collars. They believe they never would have found Mocha if it weren’t for the technology leading them to the river.

"If it weren’t for that collar, we would have never been able to find her," said Brianna. "I never in a million years would I have thought she would be down there, it wouldn’t have crossed our minds even for a second."

Mocha is back home, and while she’s still a little tired from her adventure, the veterinarian has given her a clean bill of health.

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