There’s no denying that the ocean is a very dangerous place. For this reason, It’s important to always wear a life vest out on the water, and also place them on your animals too. One family learned that firsthand when their beloved Jack Russell terrier fell overboard during a recent boating trip off the Florida coast. They went into the cabin for only a moment and when they returned, the dog had vanished!

Immediately, the owners called in the overboard dog to the United States Coast Guard and began their own intense search. After hours of scouring the water, and no sign of their precious pooch anywhere to be found, they remorsefully called it quits and headed into shore.

At the same time, another group of boaters spotted what they thought was a buoy initially, far off in the water. When they got closer, the couple realized the buoy was actually a dog in a bright orange life vest! They scooped up the exhausted pup and headed back into shore where he was reunited with his worried humans. If it wasn’t for his smart owners putting him in a life vest, who knows if he would have made it!