Sue

The biggest variable is that some one SAW that animal way out there....we didn't know if it was an animal or human. We saw a fairly larged size 'something' clinging to ice thru a hole. These people have 3 large ponds, small lakes, actually, this one was a good 100 by 500 feet in size. They have a beautiful set up, and a very nice kennel, indoor-outdoor and connected to a very nice outbuilding, and they had a new nice 20 foot leash tied to the patio door.

I think people forget that their dogs, cats, even horses, don't understand that ice is thin this time of year. I have a water feature, that is about 3 feet deep at most, but only 4 by 6, and not 3 feet deep anywhere but the center...it is melted pretty well now....but I worry about doggies out there, I watch. They are used to running over it as it has been frozen for 6 months. They could easily jump out, I am sure, but you just don't know. Our lakes are still frozen....expecting 2 inches of rain tomorrow and flooding.

If this WAS indeed their dog....it looked like they took good care of it, but they may have just not thought about it, or the dog is not a roamer....I don't know. I can't judge....stuff happens. Big thing is doggie is safe and I am sure the owners won't leave him/her unattended outside again.

Hubby has been walking around all day, remarking how 'good' his eyes are, LOL...and how NICE the dog was....he/she was so happy to see us and patient with us as we tried to ger he/she out. He/she was about 8 to 10 feet from shore, but we had no idea how deep the pond really was or how soft the bottom was....we figured she was standing, so it couldn't be real deep. But the guy who pulled her out was in chest deep...so pretty deep on me!

I wish Mr. Coonhound would have let us get the leash around him, just in case he slipped up and went under the ice cap, as some of it was quite thick...that dog walked over a lot of ice to fall in at the end he/she did. He just jumped right in when I said the dog was in there 20 minutes, and hit that ice as hard as he could to get to the dog and free it up, of course, when he hit the last piece the dog went under, but he had it.

Oh, if Yellow dog got into that kind of trouble, she would be under blankets..Yellow is a she....silver is a he, and chocolate is a he.....I have large lap dogs. I have Invisible Fencing around our acreage, and my dogs, are INDOOR dogs, much to my family's consternation...they spend time outdoors in nice weather, but they are not out there ever, unwatched. We have a nice set up out here....fieldstone fireplace is my favorite, in the winter...that and the view of the state park and acres and acres of fields and woods, especially now, because we can see foxes, coyotes, turkeys, sandhills, deer. Only thing is, our winter are so long and brutal.

Anyway, I would take that dog to the vet, as he/she was so cold, he/she wouldn't even shake the water off....hubby saw he/she in the nick of time. If that cop hadn't gotten there when he did, we would have had to go in and we were working on it....ropes, reinforcements etc....Labradors are cold water dogs, and can take it longer than a lot of dogs...Newfoundlands and Labs were actually used for water rescues at one time.

He/she was a mix, with longer fur, which may have helped him/her float and also to retain heat.

That was a very nice dog...got in our car, very nicely, let me dry he/she off....if animals can be grateful, this one certainly was. I am grateful I didn't have to test out my thermoregulatory function.

Once, I rescued a chicken stuck in cow dung up to its neck...long time ago, and that was an adventure too....it wasn't my cow dung...it was the farmer who rented the barn....dumb chicken. It seemed grateful too. I think animals comprehend a lot more than people give them credit for.

My rescue days are over....but that adrenaline kick will keep me going for a few days, LOL....hubby keeps telling me he isn't over the hill, because he has 'eagle eyes'.....he does. If not for him seeing that mutt, well, I prefer not to think about it...we had a happy ending....I will think about that. It is my upper for the day. I think it is too cold in that water and outside for me to have caught anythng else.... I hope.