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Subscribe to RSSA man and woman are dead and a teenage boy is missing after the trio were swept into the ocean by big waves in northern California while trying to rescue their dog, according to media reports.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon at Big Lagoon about 32 miles north of Eureka in Humboldt County.
Family members went into the water to try to save their pet dog, which had been pulled away by 8- to 10-foot waves, KTVU-TV reported.
The mother and father drowned and their bodies were recovered. They were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Times-Standard. A 16-year-old boy, believed to be the couple’s son, was missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the daughter called police, according to KTVU.
The dog managed to make it to safety, the TV station reported.
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saving a drowning dog in dangerous water falls into the same category as swerving to miss an animal while traveling at high speed....DONT DO IT!!!! i've seen many accidents, some fatal, because the ding-dong driver swerved to miss a little ol' cat or dog. sure, it may be someones beloved pet but ending up in a twisted pile of metal because you swerved into oncoming traffic just isnt worth it. ending up with lungs full of salt water just isnt worth it.
Pets, especially dogs, are often more resilient than we humans. Too bad the family didn't hold back and wait. Shame.
This is just tragic. Most people who live there know how dangerous the water is. Most dogs are very strong swimmers & if they aren't they shouldn't be in a boat (the older couple who died) without a life vest or in the water at all. Just so sad. I hope their son is found alive.
I cant believe that three people basically put thier lives at risk to save a dog. A DOG. 2 people dead. Most likly a 3rd. On top of the that the dog got out safely. Aint that something.
I recall hearing another story like this in which an elderly couple drowned while trying to save their dog from a lake. Like this story, the dog survived. How tragic.
I hope they find the boy safe somehow miraculously.
They probably went in because the dog looked like it was having trouble. Dogs ALMOST ALWAYS look like they are "having trouble" when they are swimming. It's not something you worry about when conditions are nice, but when water gets rough, it suddenly appears very scary to a person who doesn't know a lot about how dogs work. They LOOK like they're having trouble sometimes, but they're usually not. They can swim for far longer than most people think.
That's a terrible story. I love dogs too, but I'm simply not going to (in a sense) commit suicide to save my animal. The surf in northern California can be treacherous (and ALWAYS cold - esp. this time of year). Tragic. Condolences to their family.
Okay, top line and bottom one too: Humans that go bananas over their dogs are unfortunately victims of Darwinism. In the Century City mall years back I saw a store with some appetizing food in the window, I salivated thinking, that looks really good. I looked up at the sign and it said, "Gourmet Doggy Treats." Embarrassed by reaction and a bit shocked I walked quickly away. Down Santa Monica Blvd. a few blocks away, I saw homeless eating out of a garbage can. Is this the America we live in??? Dogs are animals, treat them as such... Moral of this story: dog survives and family dies. Yikes.
Messed up as hell isn't it. And to top it off, most of the folks posting here don't even bother to mention the young daughter/sister who's family is now gone from her life forever...as long as old yeller's alive all is good and well. WTF????? :(
Human lives shouldn't be sacrificed for an animal's life!
Why not?
My dogs' lives are worth far more to me, and are of more benefit to mankind in general, than a lot of the miserable people making comments here. Never once have they wished for the deaths of people they don't know or rejoiced in the misery of others.
DOG-
Are you frigging kidding me? I'm an animal lover, but morons like you make me wanna puke!!!!!!! I really doubt you have a happy life filled with family and friends, because if you did you'd be more concerned about a young lady who lost both parents and a brother than making ignorant comments like you did here! I haven't read comments from people wishing misery & death on others...you're messed up! You probably don't bother to post your rants on stories involving child abuse & molestation...that would be too humane for your brain!!!!!!!! :(
My son lives in that area and I visit there frequently - he has always warned me to be extremely careful of the surf. One of the most beautiful areas you will ever come across, but that surf has to be respected - It can come up in an instant and it is strong and cold. This is an awful tragedy.
Normally, I tend to be a smart aleck on these posts. Not this time. Wow, I know what it is to love a pet so much, you would risk a lot (within reason), but this is TOO sad. Especially because the son is missing too. Wow...
no greater love---my father once risked his life to save our dog from drowning. she had fallen off a huge ice cliff into lake michigan and could not climb back up---- i was 6 years old and on that day he was my hero.
And if he had died???
He would still of been his hero, he just would have grown up not knowing his father and that would have been a major memory.
As an old ex Norhern Cal surfer, I suspect they may have panicked when the tide was pulling them out. There only one way out of this situation. You never swim against the tide, towards the shore. You swim sideways to swim out of these rip tides. You go left or to the right, but not towards the shore . It's a losing battle that way. The rip tide is ususally only about 20-30- ft. in width. Once you swim out of it, you can swim in easily. How sad this happend and this girl lost her family.
Some people don't understand how powerful the ocean is. Some people think their dogs are hearty enough to play in the ocean, then their dogs get pulled out to sea - and the humans have even less of a chance at survival when not expert swimmers. I bet the family thought it would be okay to let their dog swim and maybe fetch a ball or frisbee. They paid the ultimate price for underestimating the power of the ocean. I've had to stop my husband from thinking our dog could handle it... I won't let my dog play in the waves because I know I would not be strong enough to save him. May they RIP. I feel so sorry for the daughter.
People will hale them as pet loving heros. The reality is they are (that is were) pet loving idiots.
Screw you @!$%# thats my friend that is missing. I go to school with him and I don't appreciate Dick heads like you.
Such a sad loss.
I love my dogs but there is no way I would go in to 8-10 foot waves after them, neither would my husband or kids.
non californian for sure :)
They were californian I know them
rexmallie, so sorry. Ignore some of these posts. Easy to say anything from the safety of your couch. It is instinct 2 try 2 save. & all these posters have instinct, so they probably would have done the same thing. If people dropped their keys, they may jump 2 get them. All I can say is I am so sorry.
Wave bites dog. Man bites wave. Wave beats man. Dog beats wave.
I'm w/ oneother, no way jose would any of us go into 8-10's for a dog. Mine or anyone else's. So sad.
RIP.
Dogs are good swimmers. My parents took me and our dog out in a little boat. The dog panicked and jumped and swam for the shore -- we didn't go to save it, we just let it swim, and this dog made it all the way to shore -- it must have been at least a 1000 feet or so. What also saved the dog, is that by chance he headed towards the a beach with a lifeguard, and this guy swam out and rescued the dog.
Absolutely Cathryn, few people can swim as well as an average dog, which makes this rescue attempt even stupider... if that's possible!
Hard to feel sorry for these people. Risking your life to save a mutt is incredibly irresponsible, and it sounds like they even allowed their son to join in on their stupidity costing him his chance to even start having a life of his own. And the dog makes it back on its own anyway? Sad about the boy but as far as the parents go, there's simply two less morons in the world.
This is why you're going to die a lonely, bitter old man. Unless you don't live long enough to get old.
Because I don't think a human should risk their life for a dog, I must be a bitter man who will die alone? Really god?? All-knowing my eye!
Yep. You have no heart. You'll see.
Sorry god, if the lives of your dogs mean more to you than the lives of your fellow human beings as you recently posted, it is YOU who are the heartless one.
Like I said in an earlier comment:
My dogs' lives are worth far more to me, and are of more benefit to mankind in general, than a lot of the miserable people making comments here. Never once have they wished for the deaths of people they don't know or rejoiced in the misery of others.
Your opinion means nothing to me.
No heart? You don't give a rats a** about the little girl that now has to grow up without her parents. Shame on you! I guess your dogs come before children.
My father died when I was a kid. It was horrible. Losing a parent and growing up without them is not a fun thing to experience. But to lose both! And all you people can say is the dog is more important than human life. More important than the girl who now has no parents or brother.
Wow. Y'all are the ones with no heart. Shame on all you heartless people.
I feel so sorry for their daughter. Life is going to be rough on her for a long while. Trust me, her parents were more important to her than the dog. She would rather have her parents and brother than the dog.
It wasn't a mutt, it was their family pet and they obviously loved him/her dearly! I think they used poor but panicked judgement and the outcome wound up to be very tragic for all involved (even fido...who will likely mourn his family). I agree, people need to use more common sense in these types of situations and hopefully others will learns from this sad story. However, this is not the time to be hateful!
BWIL-I couldn't agree more! I was shocked at the lack of concern for the young girl and the fact that so many comments revolved around the dog's well being etc...
While I love animals very much, I'd never trade the life of a family member for that of a pet (unless the family member were a child molestor, murderer, rapist or such). Hard to believe how overboard some animal lovers go; makes me wonder if they have serious trouble with their day to day human interactions?
to all of you with negative comments, how do you know the parents weren't trying to rescue their son? he could have gone after the dog first , and got into trouble in the surf...anyway , the sad thing is , good people like these died, and you heartless people calling them stupid are still alive
You are correct McJagger, and I just posted about them not having their dog on a leash with 8-10 foot waves, but the story, correct or incorrect states they went in after their dog-not their son. But I agree with you.The story may be incorrect and if there was not an actual witness, we are making an assumption.
If the waves were 8-10 feet, why wasn't the dog on a leash? Why would they allow the dog or themselves so close as to catch a wave and be swept out? I feel sorry they lost their lives. But again, this could have been avoided had they exercises common sense for the safety of their obviously much loved dog before they found themselves in this situation. I fear the son is also gone-what a shame0he had a whole life ahead of him. Condolences.
denver bill 2 - I absolutely agree with you.
didom - Can always create more humans too. At least the dog has a bigger
chance of having a pure sole.
Tragic shame. 99 out of 100 times, a dog will make it back to shore unassisted when swept into the ocean. The odds are exactly opposite for humans. Tell all your friends.