Viral Rescue: Firefighters Rush To Pull Trapped Pup from Icy Water
Good pet owners keep an eye out for their pets during extreme weather. When it’s warm out, they check the pavement before letting their pup walk on it. If their dog is thin-skinned and has a short coat, they make sure he or she is bundled up before going out into the cold.
But despite all these precautions that pet owners take, accidents still happen. Even if you have a loyal, trustworthy dog who loves everyone and everything, letting them off-leash gives you less control of them and the situations they may get themselves into.
This pup, who looks to be a great Pyrenees, is named Frankie. She has a lovely, dense coat to keep her warm — but that only works if she’s dry.
Recently, after being let outside, she found herself out on a frozen pond that wasn’t quite frozen enough. She fell through, and her owner quickly called the fire department for help getting her dog out.
Many dog owners don’t wait for assistance and plunge in themselves, but going out into the cold water is risky and if they try to step out on the ice, chances are that they’ll break through, too. Then they both need rescuing.
As difficult as it is to wait, generally the best thing to do is resist going in after them and let the professionals with their gear do the heavy lifting.
Dwayne Marty with the Norton Fire Division in Norton, Ohio, responded to the call with several others. A video captured the rescue and has now gone viral as people around the world applaud his efforts.
First he crawls out over the ice wearing a protective suit, breaking up the ice as he goes. When he reaches the dog, he stands up, and the pond is (fortunately) only waist deep.
Frankie paddles diligently even as she’s carried out, doing her best to help them out of the tricky situation.
As soon as she gets hauled up out of the pond, she is greeted with blankets and towels.
“Ten minutes after being in there she was running around like a puppy again,” said Jillian Olsen, the dog’s owner, according to Fox 8 News Cleveland. “I’m just really thankful.”
The Norton Fire Division posted documentation of the rescue on their Facebook page.
“One happy girl, with five great firemen !!!” they wrote. “Today we have already made a difference and that is why we do,what we do !!”
“This afternoon we were called for a dog through the ice on a pond,” they wrote on another post. “This is always very dangerous, as the pet owners will always attempt to rescue their pet, understandably. They are family! Today had a great outcome for all involved !!”
Plenty of other dog owners fear this fate for their own dogs. Many have taken matters into their own hands, fencing off dangerous areas so they don’t have to worry about it.
“Great job!” wrote a viewer named Jill Soltis Graydon. “This is why we just put a 700′ fence around our lake. We have 3 Labradors and their favorite spot is in the middle of it when there is ice. I’m hoping for a little less worries this winter.”
“Oh my God I am bawling!!” wrote Rebecca Thompson. “That is one of my Pups ? Thank you so much for saving sweet Frankie. ?”
“Thank you thank you thank you thank you so much,” wrote Chelsea Reid. “Words can’t express the gratitude I have for y’all helping not just us but our beloved 4 legged family as well.”
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