VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department met with Lucky the dog and his new owner Thursday for the first time since his dramatic river rescue last month.

Firefighters with the LAFD Air Operations division were on hand at Fire Station 114 in Van Nuys to surprise the Corgi mix and owner Rachel Dalby, who assisted in plucking Lucky from the Los Angeles River during a quick-moving storm on Jan. 30.

Dalby contacted firefighters when she spotted Lucky from the riverbed near the Victory Boulevard exit in Burbank.

KNX 1070’s Pete Demetriou reports LAFD pilots Scott Bowman and Brent Ruff, who were among those on hand for the reunion, recalled Lucky was close enough to shore to walk out of the water, if not for his short legs.

“We kept saying, ‘OK, any minute now he’s gonna walk out on his own’, so we’re were watching him, but he couldn’t walk out,” said Ruff. “It wasn’t ’til after we made the rescue that we brought him up and saw his legs were only this tall.”

VIDEO: Firefighters Wage Risky Rescue Of Dog In LA River

Lucky, who suffered hypothermia, did not have an implanted microchip or tags and was taken to the North Central Animal Shelter.

Dably, who has been wanting to adopt a dog for a year, has visited the shelter every day since the rescue in hopes of taking him home.

“It was sort of a waiting game to see if there would be a claim of ownership,” she said.

After no owner came forward, Dably was able officially make Lucky a part of her family.

“I’m excited — very excited,” she exclaimed.

For those interested in following Lucky’s journey, Dably has set up an Instagram account for him.