Firefighters in Cape Coral thought they were responding to a dog in trouble on Britannia Lake early Monday, June 22, 2026, but when the animal crawled beneath a dock, they discovered the real story; a coyote pup, utterly wiped out and stranded in the canal.
Denae Judd, who was kayaking nearby, spotted the animal and monitored it, updating rescue crews until it finally hauled itself under the dock. That tip made all the difference. Firefighters slipped into the water, reached underneath, and pulled the exhausted pup to safety.
By then, the coyote’s release was obviously impossible, so crews transported it to East West Veterinary Care Center. They’ll handle the next step: transferring the pup to CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc.) for care and recovery. Right now, officials haven’t said how the coyote is doing or how long it’ll need to heal, and no one knows how it ended up in the canal.
The rescue didn’t go unnoticed. Cape Coral Fire Rescue posted about the effort on social media, calling it a “great team effort!” They also gave Denae Judd a Community Recognition coin, a gesture to thank her for her help on the water.
The details of this rescue came from Cape Coral Fire Rescue, which coordinated the response and explained how the coyote pup went from canal to care.
