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It was a cold and scary day for Petey, but luckily — through the actions of a concerned citizen and a fast-moving rescue team — he made it home safe and sound.
After someone spotted the dog as he fell through the ice of a local pond in western Orange County, NC, local law enforcement officers were contacted and raced to the scene to help. At press time, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post about the incident had more than 5,000 shares from concerned folks following the story.
Petey was struggling amid the icy water, some 30-plus feet from the shoreline, after plunging through the lake’s icy crust.
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Using the boat of an off-duty Carrboro Police officer, members of the Alamance County Rescue Unit, Mebane Fire Department and Orange County Animal Services boarded the boat and paddled out into the pond, breaking a path in the ice and making their way to floundering dog.
Once safe in the boat, Petey was brought ashore where Orange County Emergency Services did their best to dry him off, then toasted him up in a warm ambulance with lots of blankets.
“We are unsure how long Petey was in the water, but we’re certain that without the teamwork of all the folks that were involved today, Petey might not have made it home,” Sgt. D. Ryan Jones wrote on sheriff’s office Facebook page.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
“There may not have been a human life hanging in the balance, but everyone involved treated the situation just as seriously,” Jones wrote. “Good work team!”
