Dramatic video captured a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter landing on a busy road in La Mesa, California.
Moments after it landed, an agent exited the aircraft running with a wounded K-9 in his arms, KNSD-TV in San Diego reported with respect to the May 9 incident.
“Boo was out there doing his job, tracking a group that crossed illegally, and unfortunately, he got bit by a rattlesnake,” U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent Esteffany Solano said.
🚨 NEW: A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter landed on a road in La Mesa, California to transport a K-9 to a veterinarian after being bitten by a rattlesnake
He’s reportedly making a STRONG recovery though!
Hang in there, pup!
pic.twitter.com/WBFVYfvZ6O— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 11, 2025
The helicopter landed near the intersection of Grossmont Boulevard and Jackson Drive.
Bewildered bystanders at first didn’t know what to think, KFMB-TV in San Diego reported.
“I didn’t know what was going on, then I saw the dog, and I just started crying. I’m a dog person — I just hoped he was okay,” Nessa Lene, a La Mesa resident who recorded video of the incident, later recounted.
Another witness said traffic stopped in all directions.
Have you ever been bitten by a snake?
“I just saw the helicopter drop briefly, guy run out with the dog in his hands — it was a German Shepherd — started running at us,” Tyler Oder, who works at a shop near the landing site, added. “Traffic was halted, north, south, east and west.”
A dramatic scene unfolded Friday afternoon in La Mesa when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter made an emergency landing in the middle of a busy intersection, all to save the life of a four-legged federal agent.https://t.co/kfdTv1YhRk
— CBS 8 San Diego (@CBS8) May 13, 2025
“The dog was panting,” Oder added. “It was kind of sad, too.”
Officers rushed the two-year-old dog to the Pet Emergency Specialty Center, where staff administered anti-venom and IV fluids.
He is stable, recovering, and under close observation.
U.S. Border Patrol’s K9 Boo was bitten by a rattlesnake on duty in Otay Mountain Wilderness, but this brave pup’s story has a happy twist! A Blackhawk helicopter landed on a La Mesa street to airlift Boo to an emergency vet hospital, where he received antivenom and is now stable.… pic.twitter.com/TCzNuUKAXT
— Laszlo Varga (@LaszloRealtor) May 12, 2025
“Boo is more than just a dog, he’s a federal agent, and he’s treated as one. We’re thankful he was able to get the care he needed,” Solano noted.
Dr. Jennifer Willey, the medical director at the pet emergency center, said snake bites are common this time of year.
“We typically see two to three snakebite cases a day during peak summer,” Willey said. “You’ll see pain, you’ll see swelling, sometimes we can find the actual punctures, and then there’s usually pretty distinct bruising that develops right away.”
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