Tag: Phil Archer

TV Reporter Reunited with Tethered Dog He Rescued in 2016 Texas Flood

March 2021 update: Before Phil Archer retired as a KPRC reporter, he was once again reunited with the dog he rescued in 2016.

Just over a year ago, as KPRC reporter Phil Archer, Sheriff Troy E. Nehls and three others rode an airboat down a flooded street in Rosenberg, Texas, Nehls was shocked by what he spotted.

Someone had tied their dog to their front porch and left her there. She was now struggling to keep her head above the rapidly rising water.

Archer and Nehls were accompanied in the airboat by photographer Jeovany Luna and volunteers Richard Allen and Jeff Shimek.

With Luna’s camera rolling, Archer and Shimek jumped out and rescued the poor dog just minutes before she would have drowned.

“This is infuriating,” wrote Sheriff Troy E. Nehls, who was also on the airboat, on his Facebook page. “These residents will get a visit from me when they return.”

The heroes took the dog to the Houston Humane Society, which named her “Archer” in the reporter’s honor. Then the heroes returned to their airboat and rescued even more stranded dogs.

Archer’s owner, Mario Gallardo, told KPRC he didn’t realize how high the water would rise when he tied his dog to the porch and left her there — and he didn’t bother to tell authorities that he’d left his dog behind. Tragically, hundreds of pets and other animals died in the devastating flooding last year caused by the historic rising of the Brazos River.

Sheriff Nehls officially adopted Archer not long after the rescue. “I am happy to say the only water this girl will be in now is the swimming pool in my backyard!” he wrote on his Facebook page at the time.

Yesterday, for the first time since June 2016, Archer was reunited with her namesake rescuer.

“One year after the devastating Brazos River floods, Archer the dog continues to be a ray of light to all she meets,” Archer (the reporter, that is) wrote in a KPRC article about their reunion.

“Her survival was a small ray of good news in a bad time, and after almost dying, she is now thriving as a cherished member of Fort Bend Sheriff Troy Nehls’ family.”

Grab a tissue or three and enjoy their happy reunion.

Protect Your Pet During Floods

Monica Schmidt, with the Houston Humane Society, told KPRC it’s as important to prepare your pets for big storms as it is to prepare yourself. She offered these helpful tips:

  • Make sure your pet is microchipped and your contact information on it is up to date.
  • Have a pet first aid kit.
  • Have a “go bag” with extra pet food and toys in it.
  • Have a crate and make sure your pet is trained to go in it “so that they’re not going to freak out,” Schmidt said.

Photo via YouTube

Watch a Tethered Dog Rescued During Texas Floods

AUGUST 2017 UPDATE: Here’s how to help animal shelters and rescues affected by Hurricane Harvey.

JUNE 8, 2016 UPDATE: Sheriff Troy E. Nehls, who helped in the rescue, has officially adopted Archer. The dog’s owner, Mario Gallardo, told KPRC he didn’t realize how high the water would rise when he tied Archer to the porch and left him there — and he didn’t bother to tell authorities then that he’d left his dog behind.

“I am happy to say the only water this girl will be in now is the swimming pool in my backyard!” Nehls wrote on his Facebook page June 5. “We picked her up today from the Houston Humane Society. Welcome to the family!”

“They chained him to the front of the [expletive] house?” said someone in an airboat Tuesday as it made its way down a street in Rosenberg, Texas, which had been flooded by the historic rising of the Brazos River.

He was referring to a dog who’d been tied to the front porch of a house. The dog was struggling to keep her head above the rising floodwater.

In the airboat were KPRC reporter Phil Archer, photographer Jeovany Luna, Sheriff Troy E. Nehls, and volunteers Richard Allen and Jeff Shimek.

With a camera rolling, Archer and Shimek jumped out of the boat and rescued the dog, minutes before she would have drowned.

“This is infuriating,” wrote Nehls on his Facebook page. “These residents will get a visit from me when they return.”

Later that day, the Houston Humane Society wrote on its Facebook page that it would get the dog “cleaned up, fed (although I hear the sheriff shared a ham sandwich with her earlier), vaccinated and settled in for the night.” Anyone interested in adopting her (she’s appropriately been named “Archer” by shelter staff) is asked to email adoptions@houstonhumane.org.

Phil Archer has been reporting for KPRC for 40 years, according to his Facebook page. After taking the dog to the Houston Humane Society, he and the other heroes went back and rescued more dogs.



How to Help Pets Affected by the Texas Floods

May was the rainiest month in Texas history, and the storms keep on coming. More than half of Texas is under flood watches or warnings, overwhelming animal shelters and rescues. Here are links to the donation pages for some shelters in the Houston area:

Photo via YouTube

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