The 2-year-old poodle named Zorro fell off a boat Tuesday evening, and his owners weren't sure where.

But despite the dark, cold conditions, the Coast Guard was able to find the little dog out in the bay about a mile south of the West River, much to the joy of his owners, Hanan and Joseph Miklasz of Crownsville.

"I cannot tell you how appreciative we are," Mrs. Miklasz said. "Words cannot even begin to express our gratitude."

The Miklasz family called the Coast Guard at about 5:30 p.m. when they discovered the small dog was missing from their 43-foot Cranchi power boat, Saint Anthony's Aqua Raider. The family was returning home from a long weekend in Cambridge and stopped to refuel in the South River.

"We discovered the dog was not with us," Mrs.

Miklasz said. "I have no idea how it happened. We have no idea how he fell off the boat."

The family was staying inside the cabin because of the chilly fall weather and only noticed the dog missing during the stop to refuel.

All they knew was Zorro was likely somewhere in the bay.

In desperation, they called the Coast Guard to see if they could help.

Normally, they wouldn't, Petty Officer Dennis Phillips said. It's not in their policy to look for lost dogs, but they had a crew in the area that was available. "Typically we don't do anything like that," he said.

Mrs. Miklasz said she was devastated and crying, and her children tried to reassure her that the dog would be found. She and her husband felt they had failed their beloved dog, who was scared of being in the water and didn't swim.

"I just felt like I let the dog down. How could we lose him?" she said.

While the Coast Guard searched, the Miklasz family searched, too. It was frustrating; every movement they saw in the water, whether it was a crab pot or a bird, brought a flash of hope with a swift realization that it was not the dog.

Mr. Miklasz finally stopped the boat and prayed to St. Anthony, the boat's namesake who also is the patron saint of boaters and lost objects.

"Many people pray to St. Anthony just for lost objects," he said. "Well, this was definitely a lost object."

His prayer was answered swiftly. "It was incredible, chilling almost, how fast that prayer was answered," he said.

Seconds later, the Coast Guard called. They found Zorro just 20 minutes into their search.

"He was still swimming," Petty Officer Phillips said. "I was shocked that we found him."

The person on the phone didn't say what condition the poodle was in, and Mr. Miklasz was afraid to ask.

But as the Coast Guard came closer, they could see a woman on the boat standing in just a T-shirt, and the dog, wrapped in her black jacket, was in her arms.

"I couldn't believe it," Mrs. Miklasz said. "It was really, really one of the most memorable moments of my life."

The family kept the dog warm through the night and yesterday he showed no signs of injury or distress from the long swim.

Mrs. Miklasz said Zorro is smart, funny and obedient.

"He's perfectly fine. He was playing with his toys like nothing happened," she said.