November 14, 2024 — 6:48 p.m.

The street had become a river. As the sun dropped behind a flooded suburban neighborhood on Thursday evening, chest-mounted bodycam footage recorded a quiet, methodical rescue: a large black Labrador retriever, stranded on the wet roof of a partially submerged car, brought safely aboard a rescue boat as emergency lights flashed across the water.

The footage opens at 18:48:27 with the dog standing motionless on the vehicle’s roof, floodwater moving around the car on every side. Its black fur is soaked and glistening in the last of the daylight, and it wears a red rescue harness. Behind it, partially submerged homes and trees stand in still water while rescue boats with red and blue emergency lights work the street in the distance.

The rescuer, wearing an olive-green waterproof flood-response jacket with reflective bands and black rescue gloves, does not reach for the dog itself first. Instead, the gloved hands check the red harness strap by strap, then clip a metal carabiner to its front ring. The Labrador watches the hands the entire time, its large brown eyes fixed on the camera, but it does not pull away.

With the safety line secured and tightened, the dog is guided a short distance across the slippery roof. Its paws move cautiously on the wet metal while the rescuer keeps steady support on the harness. The rescue boat is positioned immediately alongside the vehicle, and the Labrador is helped down from the roof onto the boat’s stable floor, the safety line kept secure throughout the transfer.

The final frames show the dog standing calmly on the boat deck among coiled ropes and rescue gear, looking up toward the camera — wet, exhausted, and safe.

Rescue officials remind residents never to attempt to drive or wade through floodwater to reach stranded animals, and to report trapped pets to local emergency services, who can reach them with boats and proper safety equipment.