Corgi falls overboard from yacht in Florida, swims 7 miles to shore



March 16 (UPI) -- A 1-year-old corgi who fell overboard from a yacht on the Indian River in Florida swam 7 miles to shore and turned up in a resident's yard.

Jon Atwood said he brought his dog, Jessica, with him when he went to help his mother and stepfather take their 65-foot yacht from Florida to North Carolina for the hurricane season via the Intracoastal Waterway.

Atwood said the vessel was passing under the State Road 520 bridge over the Indian River in Brevard County when he noticed Jessica was no longer standing at his feet

"When we couldn't locate her, we immediately put two small boats in the water and started canvassing the water to try and find her," Atwood told WKMG-TV.

The family couldn't locate Jessica anywhere in the nearby waters.

"Prior to Sunday she had never been in the water, so we had no idea if she would even knew how to swim," Atwood told the Space Coast Daily.

Atwood continued the search for more than 24 hours before posts about Jessica's disappearance on social media led to his being contacted by a resident in Rockledge.

Jessica had apparently swam 7 miles to the Rockledge shore and ended up in the homeowner's back yard.

Atwood said the homeowner who found Jessica refused a $500 reward.

"I just want to say thank you. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being kind and thank you for being compassionate," Atwood said.