According to Soffes, the boat was about five miles out from shore so he didn’t see how his dog—who wasn’t wearing a life vest at the time—could make it that far. He shared the story on Facebook, hoping by some miracle his sweet pooch made it to shore, but days went by without any word. This was the first time the duo had been separated for any amount of time, and Soffes was heartbroken.

Eventually, someone on social media recognized the dog and said she was at a local park. Someone else chimed in and said Monster was spotted swimming across the bay. This prompted Soffes to start going door to door looking for his best friend, who he said was afraid of the dark. Desperate to find Monster, Soffes offered a reward to anyone who could give him his dog back, and with that incentive his search finally came to a happy end.

Monster was tied to someone’s trailer and when she saw her dad, tears were shed and puppy kisses abounded. The athletic pooch now has a life vest for her next fishing trip and surely, Soffes won’t take his eyes off his co-captain. Hopefully Monster lives a long and happy life on dry land and keeps away from the edge of the boat.