DULUTH, Minn. — A pup in Duluth can be forgiven for not being all that keen to go in the lake for a while, after a frigid and harrowing experience in the waters of Lake Superior last week.
The Duluth Fire Department shared details of the dog's misadventure on its Facebook page, along with video of a tricky rescue from the big lake. It all happened just before 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, when the dog somehow got off his leash and jumped into the water near the Aerial Lift Bridge. A 911 call summoned members of the Duluth Fire and Rescue team along with their inflatable rescue boat and cold water equipment.
While en route rescue crews worked with St. Louis County dispatchers, who used cameras on the lift bridge to get a better idea of where the dog was. Once on the scene firefighters located the pup's owner on the south pier and she pointed out the location of her dog, who was struggling with 8-foot waves in the shipping channel.
Team members entered the lake in ice rescue suits designed to work in the extreme cold water and ice of Lake Superior and fought their way to the pup, who was difficult to see due to limited light and the dog's dark fur. Firefighters on the pier and the dog's owner used portable lights and shouted to rescuers to help them keep track of the dog, who was now slipping below the surface. Rescuers were finally able to reach the dog and grab him by his collar, but they were being swept towards the bay by lake currents.
At this point the department's inflatable boat arrived on scene and the crew was able to pull rescue team members and the exhausted dog from the water. They reached shore and the pup was reunited with his owner, and firefighters noted that he showed immediate signs of improvement, wagging his tail as he jumped into the car.
In the Facebook post, the Duluth FD explained that the department is often asked why firefighters put themselves at risk for an animal. "We have learned in the fire service that if we do not respond to help in these situations that bystanders and owners likely will take action on their own," the post read, noting that bystanders on the scene in this incident had a difficult time trying to convince the dog's owner not to jump in the lake after him.
"Given the wave and temperature conditions in the canal last night, anyone entering the water without the proper training and equipment would most likely have ended in tragedy."
The Duluth FD thanked St. Louis Country dispatchers and the on-duty Aerial Lift Bridge operator for their help in executing the rescue mission.
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