A couple visiting San Diego was treated to a Thanksgiving miracle when San Diego lifeguards located and rescued their missing dog from the ocean Sunday.

The couple were in town watching football when they realized their black labrador mix, Sadie, was missing, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department wrote in a statement.

Using an AirTag on the dog’s collar, the couple tracked Sadie’s location and began walking down the beach.

Two miles away in Ocean Beach, a surfer alerted the lifeguard tower that a dog had been swept into a rip current and was drifting out to sea. “I just had a surfer run up to the truck,” a lifeguard said on dispatch audio, “he’s saying there’s a dog that’s on the jetty.”

Lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard searched the area but could not find the wayward pup.

The search lasted more than an hour, said Garrett Smerdon and Jack Alldredge, San Diego Fire Deparment lifeguards credited with the rescue. They felt that given black labs’ ability to swim and Sadie’s age — 5 years old — she was likely still alive and swimming, or paddling.

“After an extensive search with no sightings, lifeguards began making their way back in—until a miracle happened,” the fire department wrote. A rescue Jet Ski had spotted Sadie a half mile offshore near South Mission Beach. The rescuer loaded Sadie onto a boat and brought her back to shore.

“She was super happy to see us, for sure,” Smerdon said. “She was tired.”

Sadie’s parents said in a video that they were with rescuers when the radio call came in that she had been found alive, bringing them to tears.

“We just really wanted a happy ending,” Smerdon said, “and we’re glad that Sadie got to go back home and, you know, survive this pretty traumatic event.”

Scams targeting the elderly in San Diego County resulted in losses of more than $130 million over the course of a single year, San Diego County’s multi-agency Elder Justice Task Force announced Tuesday.

Officials released the statistics Tuesday as part of an ongoing outreach campaign regarding increasingly sophisticated internet and phone scams that are leading to escalating losses for victims.

The county’s Elder Justice Task Force, which was formed in 2020, says it has identified more than 4,600 local victims and more than $325 million in losses since its inception, resulting in state and federal prosecutions of over 70 defendants.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said the true numbers of victims and losses are likely higher due to an under-reporting by victims who feel ashamed or embarrassed that they’ve fallen prey to scammers.

“The only people that need to be ashamed are the criminals who are bilking these good people out of their hard-earned money, and we want everyone to know no one is immune,” Stephan said.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that seniors can protect themselves by remembering the mantra of “Stop. Hang Up. Tell Someone” and by:

• Remembering that legitimate agencies will not ask someone to move their money elsewhere to “keep it safe”
• Hang up and call back using a number you know is real — never the one they give you
• Use call-blocking tools to reduce scam attempts

Common scams involve phone calls from people posing as authority figures or internet pop-up ads warning of supposed issues that require urgent resolution. Scammers have impersonated law enforcement, banking officials and even used AI-generated voices that mimic family members. Many of the schemes involve claims that victims’ identities have been compromised and that their money must now be transferred elsewhere in order to safeguard it.

“We’ve had enough of criminals aggressively targeting some of the most vulnerable people in San Diego County and, in some cases, bilking them out of their life savings,” Stephan said. “We want to educate senior citizens and their families about how to recognize scams and what specific actions they should take if they suspect they are being targeted.”

More examples of scams and scam prevention techniques can be found here.

The party will rage on.

San Diego FC, rewarding and feeding off another loud capacity crowd, beat Minnesota United 1-0 Monday night to advance to the semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Thanks to Anders Dreyer’s 72nd-minute goal and the shutout, the first-year club booked Snapdragon Stadium for the Western Conference final Saturday against Vancouver.

If any MLS fan base deserves another home game, it’s SDFC’s supporters.

Capacity crowds of 32,500 have attended all three of the team’s playoff matches on the heels of a season in which the club finished fourth overall in attendance and first among teams that don’t play in NFL venues.

Monday night, the crowd’s chanting, singing and drum-banging impressed both sides.

“Great atmosphere,” said Minnesota United coach Eric Ramsay, who worked three years with global powerhouse Manchester United in England.

“We have landed in football city,” San Diego FC captain Jeppe Tverskov, who played for several years in Europe.

“I love to play in front of a lot of fans,” said an appreciative Dreyer, who clapped afterward for the supporters.

The match’s lone goal hit high notes, too.

SDFC forward Corey Baird ran down a through pass near the end line and heeled the ball backward to a perfect spot.

Dreyer ripped a left-foot shot, beating the league’s top goalkeeper inside the near post.

“I had just one thing on my mind: hitting it as hard as possible,” said Dreyer.

Making it a trifecta of excellence, the defense recorded its second consecutive shutout behind a few top-notch plays.

Right back Ian Pilcher’s clearout near the goal-line, in the 48th minute, may have been SDFC’s top defensive play of the year. A goal would’ve allowed Minnesota United to do what it does best — shepherd a lead to the finish line.

“It’s so well-deserved,” said Tverskov, commending Pilcher’s hard work behind the scenes and Pilcher’s adjustment to moving from center back.

Goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega, delivering a reprieve in the 64th minute, bought more time for SDFC’s offense to break through against Minnesota’s well-coordinated defense.

Though he lost his footing, Sisniega recovered quickly to block a Minnesota shot. And Pilcher, in protecting the 1-0 lead, denied the visitors a breakout near midfield by smartly taking down a player, well worth the yellow card.

“We just defended with heart the whole game through,” Tverskov said. “We did very well, considering this team is so dangerous on almost every set piece.”

So, on balance, it was another festival of football — SDFC midfielder Luca de la Torre’s phrase — in Mission Valley.

But there was a significant flaw in the presentation.

The pitch at Snapdragon Stadium, beaten up by the San Diego State-San Jose State football game two days earlier, was not worthy of a playoff match in America’s top men’s soccer league.

It was far too bumpy. And Sisniega said he slipped on sand, nearly enabling Minnesota to score a cheap goal to say nothing about increasing injury risk.

Ramsay praised SDFC, but deemed the subpar pitch an unfortunate aspect to the match.

Before he answered questions from reporters, Tverskov brought up the pitch, calling it the worst home surface of the season.

“The pitch needs to go,” Tversko said. “There’s no in between.”

Ramsay said SDFC actually would’ve benefited the most from a good-quality surface, noting that San Diego, which led the MLS in ball possession this season, tends to “dominate the ball.”

Dreyer was kinder than Tverskov and others about the pitch, saying bumpy surfaces are part of the sport.

It appears that neither a shoddy field, sickness nor jet lag can deter Denmark’s Dreyer, who in recent days was shut down by a virus that had him throwing up eight days ago in Europe. From last Monday through Wednesday, he was plagued by headaches.

Then he boarded the long flights back to San Diego.

He said he wasn’t at full speed on Monday. But when Baird teed him up, he looked as sharp as he has all year.

Next, Dreyer will lead SDFC against Vancouver for the third time. SDFC won in Canada and the teams played to a tie in Mission Valley. But this time, German star forward Thomas Müller will be with Vancouver.

“The good news,” said Dreyer, “is I can relax a little bit” in the next few days.

SDFC fans may need some time to recover, too. Come Saturday, they’ll be ready.

MLS Western Conference Final: No. 1 San Diego FC vs. No. 2 Vancouver Whitecaps

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

TV: AppleTV

Radio: 760-AM, 1700-AM (Spanish)