By . Jessica Jerreat . PUBLISHED: . 23:04 EST, 8 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 23:24 EST, 8 January 2014 . A dog reported missing two years ago has been rescued by fishermen who spotted it swimming off the Florida coast. The dog was wearing a collar with the name Baby on it when she was found two miles off Tampa at 7.30am on Thursday morning last week. A microchip led vets to a report showing the dog had first been reported missing two years ago and that her owner had died a couple of months ago. Overboard: Baby the dog with her new owner Kathy Klein, who adopted her after the dog was found two miles out to sea . Mystery: The dog was wearing a collar with the name Baby on it and had been microchipped . Baby, who appeared groomed and well-cared for, was spotted by the crew of a commercial fishing vessel, who could just make her out in the water. 'On the horizon they could see just her . nose sticking out of the water,' Anthony Basile, a resident who temporarily took the dog in after the crew returned her to Demens Landing. I put towels on her. Warm towels on her, put the heat on in the boat. She shook for ten hours straight,' he told the Tampa Bay Times. It is thought Baby could have been in the sea, which was 68F, for up to eight hours. 'We're assuming she fell overboard at night and nobody even knew it,' Suzy Johnson, who helped look after the dog, said. When she was found in the water, the dog had a red collar with diamante studs spelling out the name Baby. Rescue: Anthony Basile nursed Baby back to health after the fishermen who found her brought the dog ashore . Bond: After being rescued by Anthony, the dog refused to let him out of her sight . Caring: Anthony with Baby on his boat in Demens Landing. The dog shook for about ten hours after being saved from the sea . When Banfield Pet Hospital scanned her . microchip, staff discovered she had been listed as missing two years ago. They also found three phone numbers including one that led them to a man in Virginia . who said Baby had belonged to his sister, Charlene Knotts, who died aged 40, two months ago. The man said he . believed his sister's roommate had been caring for Baby, and didn't know . how she could have ended up in the sea, Fox 13 reported. 'Baby was her little lap dog. She fed Baby off her fork and they had quite the relationship,' Deborah Clements, who had lived with Ms Knotts said. The dog was being cared for by a third roommate who found a new home for Baby on Craigslist, but after a couple of days the dog ran away in December. When she was found on January 2, Mr Basile took her in and Baby bonded with him immediately. He had been on his way to the marina office to pay his rent when the fisherman who found her stopped him. After managing to coax her out of the crawl space she was hiding in on their boat, Baby refused to let Mr Basile out of her sight. 'I can't take a step off the boat and she'll start screaming and yelling. I walk with her; she stays right by my side,' he told WFLA. 'I don't know how she made it through this. It's truly not possible. But she did it, somehow. She was out two miles,' he said. New start: Kathy Klein and her husband Larry have adopted the dog and renamed her Gracie . Forever home: The dog has found a new family after being rescued from the sea . Unfortunately he wasn't able to offer Baby a home permanently, but a Florida couple who heard about her story and had offered to help have now adopted her. 'Initially, I wanted to just go meet the . people that were so kind to rescue her,' Kathy Klein said. 'I went and got . a dog bed and a blanket and a dog coat because I knew it was going to . get cold.' But as she helped nurse Baby back to health, and trimmed the knots out of her bedraggled fur, Mrs Klein fell in love with the dog. As well as offering Baby a new home, Mrs Klein has also given her a new name - Gracie - because 'purely by the grace of God did she survive all of this'.
Fishermen rescue dog named Baby after spotting it swimming in the sea .
Rescuers believe pet could have been in water for about 8 hours .
Microchip reveals dog's owner had died a few months ago .
Tampa couple adopt Baby after hearing of her plight .
By . Jessica Jerreat . PUBLISHED: . 23:04 EST, 8 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 23:24 EST, 8 January 2014 . A dog reported missing two years ago has been rescued by fishermen who spotted it swimming off the Florida coast. The dog was wearing a collar with the name Baby on it when she was found two miles off Tampa at 7.30am on Thursday morning last week. A microchip led vets to a report showing the dog had first been reported missing two years ago and that her owner had died a couple of months ago. Overboard: Baby the dog with her new owner Kathy Klein, who adopted her after the dog was found two miles out to sea . Mystery: The dog was wearing a collar with the name Baby on it and had been microchipped . Baby, who appeared groomed and well-cared for, was spotted by the crew of a commercial fishing vessel, who could just make her out in the water. 'On the horizon they could see just her . nose sticking out of the water,' Anthony Basile, a resident who temporarily took the dog in after the crew returned her to Demens Landing. I put towels on her. Warm towels on her, put the heat on in the boat. She shook for ten hours straight,' he told the Tampa Bay Times. It is thought Baby could have been in the sea, which was 68F, for up to eight hours. 'We're assuming she fell overboard at night and nobody even knew it,' Suzy Johnson, who helped look after the dog, said. When she was found in the water, the dog had a red collar with diamante studs spelling out the name Baby. Rescue: Anthony Basile nursed Baby back to health after the fishermen who found her brought the dog ashore . Bond: After being rescued by Anthony, the dog refused to let him out of her sight . Caring: Anthony with Baby on his boat in Demens Landing. The dog shook for about ten hours after being saved from the sea . When Banfield Pet Hospital scanned her . microchip, staff discovered she had been listed as missing two years ago. They also found three phone numbers including one that led them to a man in Virginia . who said Baby had belonged to his sister, Charlene Knotts, who died aged 40, two months ago. The man said he . believed his sister's roommate had been caring for Baby, and didn't know . how she could have ended up in the sea, Fox 13 reported. 'Baby was her little lap dog. She fed Baby off her fork and they had quite the relationship,' Deborah Clements, who had lived with Ms Knotts said. The dog was being cared for by a third roommate who found a new home for Baby on Craigslist, but after a couple of days the dog ran away in December. When she was found on January 2, Mr Basile took her in and Baby bonded with him immediately. He had been on his way to the marina office to pay his rent when the fisherman who found her stopped him. After managing to coax her out of the crawl space she was hiding in on their boat, Baby refused to let Mr Basile out of her sight. 'I can't take a step off the boat and she'll start screaming and yelling. I walk with her; she stays right by my side,' he told WFLA. 'I don't know how she made it through this. It's truly not possible. But she did it, somehow. She was out two miles,' he said. New start: Kathy Klein and her husband Larry have adopted the dog and renamed her Gracie . Forever home: The dog has found a new family after being rescued from the sea . Unfortunately he wasn't able to offer Baby a home permanently, but a Florida couple who heard about her story and had offered to help have now adopted her. 'Initially, I wanted to just go meet the . people that were so kind to rescue her,' Kathy Klein said. 'I went and got . a dog bed and a blanket and a dog coat because I knew it was going to . get cold.' But as she helped nurse Baby back to health, and trimmed the knots out of her bedraggled fur, Mrs Klein fell in love with the dog. As well as offering Baby a new home, Mrs Klein has also given her a new name - Gracie - because 'purely by the grace of God did she survive all of this'.
had died a couple of months ago. Overboard: Baby is thought Baby could have been in the sea, which about ten hours after being saved from the sea .