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Video shows Fla. sheriff’s deputy saves police dog after it tried to jump to its death off bridge

Wild video footage captured the horrifying moment a Florida police dog helping with an arrest nearly fell 75 feet from a bridge — before his handler yanked him back to safety with his leash, saving its life.

Deputy Lauren Donaldson and her K-9 Zeppelin had just completed a felony arrest on top of the 528 Causeway bridge and were walking back to their patrol car when Zeppelin tried to jump over the guardrail, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Thursday.

Thankfully, Donaldson was quick to tighten her grip on Zeppelin’s leash as he dangled several stories above the Indian River, a 121-mile-long, brackish lagoon near Cape Canaveral.

Video of the incident shows Donaldson’s shocked reaction, with her saying, “No. No!” to herself as she braces her feet against the railing and pulls Zeppelin, a Belgian Malinois, back onto the bridge.

“Lauren’s rescue of her beloved partner is even more amazing when you consider that Zeppelin, a Belgian Malinois, weighs approximately 75 pounds and Lauren weighs 122 pounds when she is soaking wet and holding a bowling ball, yet somehow she managed to not panic and pull Zeppelin back to safety,” Ivey wrote on Facebook.

“Without Lauren’s fast action there is no question that Zeppelin would have fallen approximately 75 feet into the Indian River and most likely to his death,” Ivey added.

While Ivey conceded he is still upset that Zeppelin gave them “a huge scare,” he was grateful the K-9 was unharmed.

The deputy and her K-9 partner are two-time reigning champions in the “Hardest Hitting K-9” category of the Space Coast K-9 Competition, according to Ivey.

“I could not be more proud of Lauren for all she does as a member of our team to protect our community,” the sheriff said.

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