Coast Guard Rescues Dog Trapped In The Icy Waters Of Lake Michigan [Video]
U.S. Coast Guard officials have managed to save a dog from certain death after it was rescued from an icy Lake Michigan early Tuesday morning. According to NBC News, the dog, a Labrador, had reportedly jumped into the lake and fell through a sheet of thin ice. Thankfully for the lab, she had chosen the right place to jump into the lake — an area just across from the office of the U.S. Coast Guard! The animal was trapped and was desperately trying to get out of the frigid waters when it was noticed by officials from the Coast Guard Station at Frankfort, Michigan. In fact, the Coast Guard officials were in a routine meeting when one individual from the group spotted the struggling dog.
According to Tim Putnam of the Coast Guard Station at Frankfort, it became quickly evident that the dog was not in a position to get out of the water by himself.
“The dog went straight down and was in the water. We knew he wasn’t getting out himself.”
Wasting no time, an entire crew of Coast Guard officials rushed to the spot. Tim Putnam took the lead, jumped into the icy waters, and swam nearly 200 feet towards the eager dog. The channel was completely filled with loose ice, Tim confirmed. Upon inching closer to the dog, Tim Putnam confirmed that the animal was shivering due to the extreme cold. He added that it was also a difficult swim, thanks to the loose ice.
“I had to push a lot of the ice out of the way, it was pretty exhausting. It was almost like he knew it was his last chance. Luckily we got him out in time, it didn’t look like he had too much left in her.”
When he finally reached the dog, Putnam grabbed the pooch and helped him along and took her to safety. The rest of the crew waiting at the shore helped both of them out of the water.
The dog was eventually taken to the Benzie County Animal Shelter in Beulah, Michigan, where it was checked for hypothermia. While the Coast Guard thought the dog was male, animal control officers later revealed that the dog was a three to five-year-old female. According to the Huffington Post, officials were, after some searching, able to locate the owner of the dog, even though there were no identification marks or a microchip on the animal. A Facebook post on the official page of the Coast Guard Station of Frankfort posted a picture of the rescued dog happily sitting with her owner.
Meanwhile, Tim Putnam’s colleagues had managed to capture the entire episode of the dog-rescue on camera. The footage was later uploaded to their YouTube channel and has since then gone viral. The video is sure to make you feel good!
Last year, too, the Inquisitr had reported about another touching dog rescue story. It is heartening news like this that bring in some form of sanity to a world filled with violence and hate. What do you think?
[Image via Facebook]
