The Sterling Fire Department received a call informing them about a dog who had fallen through thin ice into water. Only a few minutes later, the department received another call, and this time they were told that the owner of the dog had also fallen into the water while attempting to save his pooch.
Jim Emerton, a public information officer of the fire department, said that the owner of the pooch tried to reach the dog in his canoe, but the canoe overturned, and that made the owner fall into the water. The owner was luckily able to get himself on a thin ice sheet, and thus avoided falling into the water again because his weight was distributed on the ice sheet.
When the rescue team arrived there, the owner was trying to get himself back towards land. Emerton told reporters that regional technical rescue and dive teams were called as a precautionary measure. The team used a rescue sled to get to the owner, and another rescuer who was wearing diving equipment went beyond the owner to save the pooch.
The owner of the dog came out unharmed. However, the rescue team called for an urgent visit by a veterinarian to the site to get the pooch checked. In the meanwhile, the rescue teams tried to keep the pooch warm and dried him off.
Emerton told news outlets that the dog was in quite stressed when the rescue teams got him out of the freezing water.
The incident is a reminder that iced over waters should be avoided during this time of the year because it’s mostly thin ice and can prove to be dangerous.
The owner of the dog was grateful to the rescue crew for not only saving his dog’s life but also saving him from trouble.
Image source: MSN
