Meet Birdie and Friends, the Adorable Sea Tow Dogs Who Spend Their Days Helping Boaters in Distress
This happy-go-lucky Weimaraner is one of a group of dogs who help their captains as they provide assistance to boaters in need. 
By Hilary Braaksma October 12, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print 
Selfie with Birdie from Sea Tow Credit: Courtesy of Sea Tow
We love stories about pups helping humans on the job, and Birdie the Sea Tow dog might be one of the most adorable working dogs out there. Birdie is a three-year-old Weimaraner who spends her workdays helping Captain Tim Sanzone, the general manager of Sea Tow Manasquan covering central New Jersey's Atlantic coastline.
Sea Tow provides 24/7 assistance for boaters who need towing, jump starts, fuel delivery and other marine services to boaters. Sea Tow captains bring along dogs like Birdie, who ride along with them to provide help and comfort to those experiencing trouble on the water.
"Birdie plays a vital role in comforting people in a wide variety of stressful boating situations," Capt. Sanzone tells Daily Paws. "She especially loves meeting children and other dogs."
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Capt. Sanzone says the typical day for him and Birdie is anything but typical—a Sea Tow captain's day can start with anything from routine maintenance to a sinking vessel. He says that having a canine co-worker on the job can help team members keep up morale.
With service coverage for boaters spanning the entire Eastern Seaboard, Gulf Coast, and Southern California, there are several hero dogs who, like Birdie, give a boost to their boat captains and boaters in need, who enlist the help of Sea Tow when they find themselves in stressful situations like groundings, accidents … or even when they run out of fuel.
dog on Sea Tow boat with Wrightsville Beach in the backgound 
Tuna, the dog, on deck of a Sea Tow boat with another boat following in the wake Left: Charlie Brown works alongside Ryan Saporito and Scott Collins out of Wrightsville Beach, N.C. | Credit: Courtesy of Sea Tow Right: Tuna surveys the open ocean while giving another boater a tow in their wake. | Credit: Courtesy of Sea Tow
"Being a Sea Tow captain can also be challenging, and there is no doubt Birdie always brings a calm to my daily life," says Capt. Sanzone. "Oftentimes the hours are long and day turns to night, and Birdie provides inspiration to those long days."
Some of Birdie's favorite perks of the job are making friends with the team and boaters, swimming, playing with kids, hanging out with her dog mom Stacey (Capt. Sanzon's wife), rolling in mud puddles, and eating watermelon, which is her favorite food.
"She is filled with energy and life and never misses the opportunity to go for a boat ride, rescue mission, or late night salvage," Sanzone says. "Birdie has quite a personality and always brings a smile to everyone she meets on and off the Sea Tow boat."
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We hope it never comes to this, but if we ever happen to find ourselves in maritime distress, we definitely hope the help who comes to our aid is as sweet and adorable as Birdie. Check out more adorable hero dogs content on Daily Paws.
