Heartwarming moment Coast Guard crew rescue a dog found swimming for its life off Florida shore

A United States Coast Guard crew rescued a dog who was swimming off of the shores of southwest Florida on Wednesday evening.

Video posted by the Coast Guard’s Fort Myers Beach station shows crew members aboard a vessel spotting a brown pup as it was swimming several dozen yards from the shore.

The pooch managed to stay afloat until she was pulled out of the water by a crew member.

In the video, the vessel is seen getting near the dog, which was paddling to stay above the surface of the water.

The Coast Guard rescued a dog that was found swimming off the shore of Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday evening

The dog was paddling along, barely keeping her head above the surface of the water as it strayed a few dozen yards from the shore 

The Coast Guard crew managed to pull the wet dog into its vessel

The appreciative pup gave his rescuer a big, wet kiss after it was pulled into the vessel

‘Come here pup,’ said one of the crew members before whistling to the dog. 

The crew then shifted the boat to get closer to the dog before lifting the wet pooch out of the water. 

‘How are you doing, buddy?’ one of the Coast Guardsmen asks the dripping-wet dog. 

‘You’re the best person I’ve ever rescued.’

The Coast Guard crew members pose for a photo with the wet pooch moments after the rescue

The Coast Guard says the dog has been reunited with her owner and is in good health

The grateful dog planted a few kisses on his Coast Guard hero. 

The crew members posed for photos with the wet canine and posted them on Facebook. 

‘While our crew was out underway for a night patrol, we received a call for a dog in distress swimming off Fort Myers Beach/Bowditch Point,’ the Coast Guard said on its Facebook page.

‘Thanks to the crew’s expertise in intercepting non-compliant vessels (NCV) and recovering a person in the water (PIW), our “star” of the night was safely recovered and returned to her owner!’