Bright Spot: Amazing stories of rescue and unlikely rescuers

(WFSB) - This week, we saw two incredible stories involving dogs.

First, a rescuer ended up needing rescuing herself. Authorities in Arizona say a woman was trying to save her dog from a canal when she ended up getting stuck too.

Bodycam footage shows the moment help arrived, 18 hours later.

Police told local media, the woman managed to cling to a tree while hanging on to her 55-pound dog for an entire night, until a conductor in a passing train spotted her and called police.

To make the situation even worse, a rope the rescuers were using broke, and they had to use a long K9 leash to lasso her.

The Sheriff said neither the woman nor her dog appeared to have serious injuries.

Then, it’s nesting season for turtles, and an unlikely hero is rescuing these at-risk animals.

Conservationists say the numbers are below normal in neighboring Rhode Island due to loss of habitat and poaching.

That’s why the Roger Williams Park Zoo is using a new partner to help.

Meet ‘Newt,’ a one-year-old Fox Red Labrador Retriever trained to find turtles, some of whom are at risk.

“He can get into areas where we can’t as people. I’m not going to crawl [through] thorn bushes.”

Newt searches an area, and when he finds a turtle, he lies down next to it to signal for a human to come closer.

The turtles Newt discovers are helping researchers track and keep them safe.

Copyright 2022 WFSB. All rights reserved.