Heartwarming Rescue: Heroic Efforts to Save an Elderly Canine Stranded on an Ice Floe in the Freezing River for Hours

“From Frigid Waters to a Warm Home: Lucy’s Remarkable Rescue and Heartwarming Reunion”

The initial days in a new home can be quite overwhelming for a rescue dog, often leading them to attempt to run away. Such was the case with Lucy, a recently adopted Labradoodle who managed to slip away from her new owner during a walk. Fortunately, locating Lucy didn’t take long, but bringing her back home proved to be a challenging task.

To everyone’s surprise, Lucy ended up stranded on a large piece of ice in the icy waters of the Detroit River. It remains a mystery how she got there, but there she was, clinging to the drifting ice with frigid water flowing around her. The situation was dire, with the risk of hypothermia looming if she remained on the ice much longer. Responding swiftly to the distress call, a team of Wyandotte police officers, firefighters, and animal control officers arrived to lend a hand.

Upon arrival, they found Lucy, trembling and drenched, lying on the ice. Determined to save her, they managed to maneuver the ice chunk closer to the riverbank. A firefighter bravely stood on a slippery, submerged ladder while his colleagues provided essential support by holding onto him with a rope.

“The poor pooch somehow managed to climb onto a chunk of ice but it was drifting away in the river while the dog was freezing,” the police department recounted.

During the daring rescue operation, one firefighter held a ladder against a nearby dock, while another descended it into the freezing water. With the help of a tool called a catchpole, they gently looped it around Lucy’s neck, carefully pulling her towards the ladder. Although the terrified pup had to endure a few seconds in the icy water, the firefighter held her securely in his arms.

Wyandotte Assistant Fire Chief Tom Lyon later described the heartwarming outcome, saying, “It had such a happy outcome. She just had those big brown eyes, and she couldn’t talk, but she probably was just so grateful.”

Lucy was promptly warmed up, and her worried owner was overjoyed to be reunited with her. After a thorough examination by a veterinarian, Lucy received a clean bill of health.

It’s safe to say that Lucy will be spending her days cozily wrapped in a blanket, basking in the warmth of her new home with her loving family.

Poodle that lost both legs in horrific car crash now bounces around like a kangaroo and ‘is happier than ever’

Jumping on her two hind legs, this happy poodle moves more like a kangaroo than a dog after losing her front legs in a car crash.  

The pup named Cora Rose was destined for euthanasia after her legs and pelvis were shattered in the accident in Stockton, California last year.

But Zach Skow, 39, and his wife Heather, 32, rescued her from an animal shelter and paid $10,000 for life-saving medical treatment. 

The determined pooch at first used a cart to get around but now spends most of her time bouncing around on her hind legs.

Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest.

‘Dogs can bounce back so quickly – she jumps, hops, all day long – she’s very strong.

‘She’s so resilient. Her quality of life is through the roof – losing her two front legs hasn’t starved her of anything.’

The couple first came across Cora Rose at the City of Stockton Animal Shelter in California, where staff were considering euthanasia after the December 2017 crash.

When they rescued Cora Rose, she had one leg in a cast and was suffering an osteo infection in the other, caused by bone protruding through the skin turning septic.

Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest’

After the operation, it took two months for the poodle to heal and then she could finally use her cart to get around

After the operation, it took two months for the poodle to heal and then she could finally use her cart to get around

Mr Skow, who has a six-month-old daughter, said: ‘That kind of infection is like cancer for dogs.

‘The leg needed to be amputated immediately. One leg at a time had to be amputated, because she would have been under anaesthesia for too long if we had done both.

‘After surgery, she had a hard time because she still had a shattered hip and still couldn’t move properly.

‘It took two months to heal, and then she could finally use her cart to get around.’

Now, seven months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened.

Mr Skow says Cora Rose and the other pups rescued him from alcoholism.

Now, several months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened

He founded Marley’s Mutts in 2009 and says the animals are what helped him get sober.

Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, said: ‘I had cirrhosis of the liver and needed a transplant.

‘My weight dropped from 183 lbs to 140 lbs, my skin was yellow and I had to use a catheter.

‘I had fantasized about ways of taking my own life. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I looked like an old man.

‘One day I was weeping and crying when I looked back to see my dogs looking at me.

‘It made me realize that I was still the leader of their pack. They could still see the man inside.

‘The next day I started walking with them. Everywhere I went I had dogs with me.

‘Walking with the dogs meant I became healthy enough to undergo a liver transplant, but six months later doctors told me I didn’t even need one any more.

‘I never set out to be a dog rescuer, but they saved me.

‘Now we rescue hundreds of dogs a year. It’s the most heartwarming thing you can do.’

Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, took in Cara Rose (pictured after the operation)Continue Reading

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