An Estacada Fire rescuer holds Gizmo after the dog and his owner were rescued from Oregon's Clackamas River on October 16, 2026 ( t) A woman and her small dog, Gizmo, were kayaking along Oregon’s Clackamas River, roughly 30 miles southeast of Portland, when their boat flipped on October 16. With water temperatures in the low 50s and a current that threatened to sweep them downstream, the pair were left stranded in the river. Of the two, only Gizmo was wearing a life jacket.
Authorities have not released the woman’s name or age, but both she and Gizmo escaped without injury. Matt Aalto, a division chief with the Estacada Fire District (EFD) who oversaw the rescue, told Outside that the incident reminds paddlers—and their pets—to always wear life jackets, regardless of how comfortable they feel on the water. Authorities wrote that the woman launched near Milo McIver State Park, a popular recreation area with trails, campgrounds, and river access.
According to Aalto, the woman struggled to control the kayak shortly after entering the water. The kayak flipped while she was still within sight of the boat ramp, Aalto said, leaving her standing in the river with Gizmo and a boat full of water. Aalto said the woman couldn’t self-rescue, but she was able to call her mother, who then alerted emergency responders.
When firefighters arrived, the woman’s father met them at the scene and pointed out a trail that led directly to her location. Firefighters then waded into waist-deep water and first retrieved Gizmo, then his owner and the flooded kayak. The entire rescue took about ten minutes.
Gizmo was wearing a properly fitted life jacket with a handle, which Aalto said may have saved the small, scruffy dog’s life. And whether or not he would have been found is a whole other thing.” By the time Gizmo reached shore, he was OK, albeit a little cold. But you could tell that he was a chilly little dog.” Firefighters helped his owner safely to shore, and she did not require medical treatment.
Fed by rain and snowmelt from the Cascade Mountains, the Clackamas can remain cold even when the air feels mild, and strong currents can overwhelm swimmers of all abilities. On October 16, air temperatures in nearby Portland reached 78 degrees Fahrenheit, while a U.S. Geological Survey monitoring station recorded the river at 53.6 degrees that morning.
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