Heidi was swimming alone when the fisherman saw her.
It was six in the morning on February 20, 2020, in Moreton Bay, Australia, and something was moving among the waves: an exhausted German Shepherd, surrounded by a fuel tank, a fishing box, and a wetsuit that clearly belonged to someone. The man pulled her aboard his boat without knowing that he had just found the first clue in a disappearance.
Heidi had been swimming for about 11 hours since the boat belonging to her owner, a 63-year-old man, lost power the night before and began to sink. Brisbane water police deployed a helicopter, four boats, and a personal watercraft as soon as they received the alert. More than four hours later, they found the man clinging to the remains of his half-submerged boat, having spent nearly 15 hours adrift.
Neither Heidi nor her owner suffered serious injuries. The police named her the honorary dog of the day, although the real feat was simple: staying in the water long enough for someone to notice that something was wrong.