KEY LARGO, Fla. -- Ray Truche Jr. and Lisa Largrassa fished for hours in Key Largo and didn't catch anything -- except a drowning dog.

Motoring their 23-foot fishing boat earlier this month on Florida Bay, the two hit something unusual and turned around to check.

"I looked over at my girlfriend and said, 'What was that?' " Truche said. He turned their boat around and headed toward the object. "As we came back upon it, I realized it was a little fat dog," Truche told The Keys News. "It was having trouble keeping its head above water. Its big eyes were looking at us. It was almost as if it was saying, 'Don't leave me here!' "

The couple leaned over the boat and made their only catch of the day: a 5-year-old cairn terrier named Tigger.

Truche said there was no dry land in sight.

Tigger was apparently thrown from Diane and Richard Beckman's boat on their way from Key Largo to Marathon, Fla. They said once they realized Tigger was missing from their boat, they searched for him for more than two hours.

"We went back and forth, back and forth," Diane told the paper. "Finally we just gave up, because we thought he couldn't have survived in the water for that long. I was just heartbroken. "

After calling the number on the dog's tag and unsuccessfully trying to reach the family, Truche and Largrassa dropped the dog off at the Upper Keys Animal Shelter.

Diane was elated when she got home and listened to her messages. She went quickly to pick up Tigger.

"He was so terrified. As soon as he realized it was me, he jumped in my arms and wouldn't let go," Diane told the paper.

The pet owner said she made a mistake and she hopes others will learn from it.

"Please tell dog owners not to take their dog out on a boat without a life jacket," Diane said. "Mine had a happy ending, but most don't."