Dog stranded on melting Detroit River rescued by Wyandotte emergency crews
Recent water rescues of dogs shows how dangerous ice is this time of year
Now that it's starting to warm up, the snow and ice are melting - and that means it's not safe for anyone to be out on frozen lakes or rivers, including our pets. Two recent rescues were made after dogs wandered out onto thin ice.
WYANDOTTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - Now that it's starting to warm up, the snow and ice are melting - and that means it's not safe for anyone to be out on frozen lakes or rivers, including our pets. Two recent rescues were made after dogs wandered out onto thin ice.
On Monday, Lucy got loose, ending up on the Detroit River and was rescued by Wyandotte Fire.
"That’s what you hope for in every rescue," said a firefighter.
FOX 2: "Are you an animal lover?"
"I got two myself," he said.
The pup was 20 feet offshore, laying on a chunk of ice.
"He was super calm and his big eyes were just looking at the crew members," said another firefighter.
These firefighters are trained to handle water rescues. They angled her closer to shore. And eventually, they had to suit up in diver gear to bring her on home, where she’s recovering now.
A couple days earlier – there was a similar scene in northern Oakland County.
Bella, a rottweiler, nursing back to health, after falling through the ice in this pond. Her owners tell FOX 2 she was treading water for about 30 minutes before they could get her to shore.
Assistant Fire Chief Lyons says don’t trust the ice right now – at all.
"It could be a solid sheet of ice then it snows, and then it rains, then it refreezes," he said. "Although it might be thick, it’s not strong.
It's obviously the time of year where this is going to happen. So we asked the assistant chief what do you do if your dog or a stranger’s pet is stuck out on the ice.
"Always call 911 because most fire departments are trained to mitigate most situations," Lyon said. "Do not go in the water, do not attempt to rescue anybody. Call 911 first."
