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Captain Terry Johns is in charge of the Sanibel Harbor Princess dinner cruise boat out of Fort Myers, Florida. One summer Sunday he had just handed over the helm to co-captain Kurt Echols to check on his guests when he heard a commotion at the rear of the yacht.

He said, “I looked out the window, and sure enough, I saw a little head swimming by.” The head belonged to a Blue Heeler/Australian Cattle Dog mix named Ellie.

Luckily for everyone involved, Captain Johns is a retired member of the Coast Guard and knew exactly what to do. Ellie was swimming toward the back of the boat, so the Captain told his Co-Captain to keep the vessel turned so the critter wouldn’t run into the prop. Then he hurried to the swim platform at the stern and scooped her out of the water.

Captain Johns said the wet little dog was, “just as happy as she could be” to stand on the dry deck. The crew got her some food and water. After the memorable cruise ended, they took her to a vet. The vet found she had a microchip, but it was no longer working.

No one could guess the mysterious reason this little dog was 1.5 miles from shore. But the nightly news ran a story on the dog anyway, and then something incredible happened.

That afternoon Ben and Kathleen Baker had been boating with Ellie. Ben said he was playing with her, but focused on driving the boat as they passed into the harbor. Then he looked down and she was gone.

The couple zigzagged across the water until they could no longer see. Ben said, “I just figured that was it. I’m 72 years old, and I have probably cried more in the last 18 hours…” before trailing off. Later that night they turned on the news, and there was Ellie.

You can see Ellie reunited with her family in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.