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Map of Newport Beach, California

kindness

He saved a drowning dog, then found its family

Newport Beach, California · 23 June 2026

A 15-year-old named Mateo Akerman swam into a Newport Beach harbor last week to rescue a drowning dog, then tracked down the dog's family using the number on its collar. Mateo was spending the afternoon with friends on Balboa Island when they spotted a dog named George wandering near traffic. Moments later George was in the water, paddling on his own at first, then losing the fight to get back to shore. Mateo jumped in and swam out, carrying George back when the dog could no longer keep going. His friends filmed the whole thing. On land, they wrapped George in a towel, found the phone number on his collar, and stayed with him until his owner arrived. "I have two dogs myself which I rescued when I was younger," Mateo told CBS LA. Nobody was hurt. George, who started this by wandering toward traffic, recovered quickly.

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