Officer rescues Chihuahua from Sarasota Bay

Sarasota Police Department Officer Michael Skinner says he may have a new department nickname after saving a Chihuahua from behind the Sarasota Yacht Club on Feb.17.  

While on marine patrol Friday night, he communicated the dog’s name to fellow officers and quickly started receiving text messages, “Did you just say Tinkerbell on the radio?”

He did, and it was a serious matter. The tiny Chihuahua fell overboard with her owner. The man was transported to the hospital, so his wife went with him. Tinkerbell was out of sight in Sarasota Bay for 45 minutes.

Skinner wasn’t optimistic when arriving on the scene with his partner, Officer Ron Dixon, considering the size of a Chihuahua and the strength of the current. It was also dark out, and she fell in near a seawall. Even the docks were 5 to 6 feet over her head. It was unlikely she would have found a way out herself. 

But Skinner and Dixon found Tinkerbell within 15 minutes of arriving. The resourceful dog swam to what Skinner described as looking like a piece of concrete piling covered in oysters. 

SAFE AND SOUND🐶❤️ Marine Patrol was out on the water Friday night when they were called to assist @scgovEOC with a water rescue. This sweet Chihuahua named Tinkerbell fell into the water. Our Officers rescued her. Watch until the end for an emotional reunion!🐾 #Sarasota #Rescue pic.twitter.com/qppaZ8m9vJ

— Sarasota Police Department (@SarasotaPD) February 21, 2023

Friends of her owners look both ecstatic and stunned on the police cam video when they see Tinkerbell. After having to put his German shepherd down last August, Skinner was just as relieved with the outcome.

“I was pretty upset when I had to put down my dog, and I can’t imagine dealing with an injury and then trying to worry about your dog’s gone too,” he said. “It’s somebody’s pet. You just can’t take it for granted how much they love the dog.”

They can’t all be as sweet as Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell was Skinner’s first pet rescue. In 2022, the marine patrol unit received 36 calls for animals, but the majority of calls are made on behalf of wildlife. Skinner, born and raised in the area, has aided dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, raccoons and birds. 

Raccoons, the most notoriously combative of the group, are apparently much less feisty after being marooned.

Courtesy photo

“We’ll get calls from local boaters like ‘Hey, I just saw a raccoon on a channel marker,’” Skinner said. “We have a net, and we’ll try to scoop them up and keep them at the front of the boat and quickly find the closest place to land.”

The rowdier raccoons jump before making it to land. In that case, the boat slowly follows behind until they make it to shore on their own. 

But not all animals have the distinct markings of a raccoon. Dixon got a call on a dog swimming down a channel. He kept whistling, but the dog kept swimming.

When the animal reached the shore behind the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, he called Skinner to say, “You will not believe what I just did. For the last 20 minutes, I was chasing what I thought was somebody’s dog, and it ended up being a coyote.”

Sleepy manatees get the most attention from boaters. 

“A lot of people aren’t familiar with the behaviors of how they like to nap a lot on the surface,” Skinner said. “They’ll remain there kind of motionless, so we get a lot of calls.” 

The marine patrol unit works closely with the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Stranding Investigation Program. Officers are instructed on what behaviors to look for and proper handling techniques. 

On Monday, Skinner transported a 150-pound female loggerhead sea turtle to Mote. He works so regularly with wildlife that he knew based on her weight that she had to be at least 30 years old and was at egg-bearing age. Without an official diagnosis as of yet, it’s likely the loggerhead ran into a patch of red tide. 

“When we got there, she was really lethargic in the water,” Skinner said. “The good news is that she was taking deep breaths on her own.”