Stranded dog rescued from Tidal Island off Orcas Island
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 12, 2026
A dog stranded on a low-tide island off Beach Haven Road was rescued this week in a joint operation between the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and Orcas Island Fire & Rescue, ending in a happy reunion between the dog and its family.
The rescue began when Sgt. Bryce Peterson of the Sheriff’s Office was first dispatched and responded to a report of a dog trapped on a small, low-tide island near Blake’s Point Road, arriving first on scene. Peterson found the animal, a roughly hundred-pound dog later identified as Levi, exhausted, visibly distressed and bleeding somewhat from the paw, but with a good temperament overall. Orcas Fire & Rescue was then paged for an animal rescue, and six members of the department’s technical rescue team responded to assist Peterson.
Ben Luna, now lieutenant of the Technical Rescue Team, said the crew had just finished an intensive, excellent training drill days earlier led by Special Operations Captain John Hall, leaving the whole team feeling sharp and ready. “We were all feeling very fresh,” Luna said.
Four rescuers waded knee-deep through the rising tide to reach Peterson and the dog. After offering treats and checking the animal’s condition, the team carefully lifted Levi into a plastic stokes basket, secured him with a harness and lashed him in with padding for the ride back through the water, up the beach, up a ramp and into a waiting pickup truck bound for the animal shelter.
Luna praised Peterson’s dedication, describing how the deputy stood alone with the dog on the small island for a stretch of time, waiting patiently for backup and refusing to leave the animal’s side even briefly.
The rescue also highlighted the emotional weight animal calls carry for first responders on Orcas Island. Luna said his own expectations as a firefighter once centered on rescuing cats from trees, though he has only had the opportunity to do that once in his career. Dogs trapped by rising tides or stranded on cliff edges, he said, are a far more regular part of the job, and animal rescues are built into the technical rescue team’s training alongside human-rescue skills. Luna said animal calls can carry an emotional charge nearly equal to calls involving people. “We love our animals, and to see a dog in distress can be a real choker,” Luna said. “It’s just wonderful when we’re able to save a pet.”
Asked for broader pet-safety lessons, Luna pointed to a growing number of dogs and cats accompanying owners on private boats and recommended flotation devices for animals during water recreation. He warned that when a pet falls overboard without one, owners often instinctively jump in after it, which can turn one emergency into two, much the same way rescuers caution against an untrained person jumping in after a struggling swimmer. “That can cause a second incident, an incident within an incident,” Luna said.
Luna also urged residents to always tell dispatchers or 911 operators whether animals are inside a home during a fire, just as they would with a report of any human occupants. Firefighters will search for pets when conditions are safe.
For general pet-safety questions, especially around seasonal changes and hazards, Luna recommended contacting the local animal shelter or a veterinary clinic for more detailed, individualized guidance.
Luna said the Technical Rescue Team, now numbering more than a dozen members, treats animal calls with the same compassion and care given to human patients.
