When floodwaters near Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona, rose rapidly, Alexander Dale, his wife and about nine guests climbed onto their roof and waited roughly three hours for a helicopter. Rescuers initially said they lacked a harness for the family’s dog — so the couple improvised, strapping three of their own harnesses together, fitting them on the dog, and lifting out with the animal held safely.
The rescue was reported on November 2, with the couple’s quick thinking at the centre of the story. Dale was lifted out holding the animal after the makeshift harness was fitted, turning what could have been an agonising choice — leave the dog or risk the rescue — into a solution built from what the family had on hand.
Three hours on a roof
Flood rescues are rarely as orderly as they look in footage. Water rises faster than expected, roads disappear, and families end up waiting in places they never planned to be. For this group, the roof was the safest ground available, and three hours is a long time to watch water climb while waiting for help that cannot land nearby.
The detail that has stayed with readers is not the helicopter itself but the harness problem. Rescue equipment is designed for people, and animals are often an afterthought in emergency planning. The Dales did not argue about that gap. They solved it with three harnesses, some ingenuity and a refusal to leave a family member behind.
A reminder to plan for pets
No injuries or deaths were immediately reported, and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said state crews were assisting local responders, according to the report. The story is also a reminder for communities in flood-prone areas that flash floods move faster than most people expect, and that emergency plans should include pets — carriers, leashes, food, and a way to move an animal safely if a rescue becomes necessary.
The Dales’ improvisation worked, and their dog is safe because they planned, in the moment, for one more passenger. The wider lesson is simpler: if a household emergency plan does not mention the dog, it is not finished yet.
