After 18 Hours of Fighting to Stay Alive, Woman and Dog Rescued From Arizona Canal

An Arizona woman and her dog were rescued from a fast-moving canal after she clung to a tree for 18 harrowing hours, authorities said.

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam video of last week’s speedy retrieval of the woman, who had been ready to give up when she heard the wailing sirens of first responders, police said.

“Her body told the story of her constant fight,” Wellton Police Sgt. Juan Salcido told KSAZ-TV. “She had abrasions to her arms and legs. She had a sunburn. She looked exhausted to the point she couldn’t stand on her two feet,” he said.

“She was about to give up until she heard our sirens,” Salcido said.

The unidentified woman had been working in the area and let her dog roam free, police said. When her dog fell into the canal and couldn’t get out, she went in after her 55-pound pet.

That’s when she, too, couldn’t make her way out of the fast-moving waters.

“The will to survive is what makes this a great story,” Salcido said.

In the video, authorities can be seen using a rope and a harness to pull both to safety. The woman is heard moaning as she is dragged from the canal.

Though she was weak and unable to stand, the woman had no serious injuries and is recuperating with her beloved dog, authorities said.

The conductor of a passing train called 911 after seeing the woman in distress.

“We want to thank everyone involved in assisting with this rescue, including the train conductor who spotted the subject in the water and called 911,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement on Facebook.

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