BOONVILLE — Boone, the husky-Labrador mix who fled his home thanks to a malfunctioning electric fence, found himself in icy waters on Thursday. The pet dog was exploring frozen Logans Lake when he fell into an uncovered part and began thrashing for help.
“I was scared to death because I could just see he was hanging on the ice,” owner Georgia Esser said. “Once he saw me, he started struggling.”
It took the combined effort of the Boonville Fire Department and the Cooper County Fire Protection District to get Boone out.
“(The Boonville Fire Department) called us because we have an ice rescue team,” Cooper County Fire Protection District Chief David Gehm said.
Without hesitation, Lt. Tyson Fahrenbrinck put on an ice protection suit and dove into the frigid lake. After breaking through ice to try and grab the dog, Fahrenbrinck was successful, taking the pup and getting pulled to shore by his team.
“Thank God,” Esser said. “I knew he was going to be OK, or at least I hoped.”
Even though Boone was a fighter, there are some difficulties when rescuing animals that differs from rescuing humans.
“An animal is scared, and sometimes they want to bite. It doesn’t appreciate what a rescuer is trying to do,” Gehm said. “They want to grab ahold of somebody because they’re panicking, so we always circle around behind.”
Even so, both Boone and Fahrenbrinck are safe and recovering — Boone from the icy waters and scary ordeal, and Fahrenbrinck from an unrelated illness.
“I’m just very happy. Just happy and thankful,” Esser said. “I had no idea this would turn into what it turned into.”
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