A Massachusetts man and his dog are safe after being rescued from an icy lake on Sunday.
Ed Berger and his two dogs were walking near Lake Waban in Wellesley, Mass., on Jan. 12 when Tommy, one of the dogs, spotted birds off in the distance. In a matter of moments, Tommy was submerged in the freezing water.
Before long, Berger asked someone nearby to call 911 as he approached the 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel.
“There’s nothing more horrific than not being able to get to your dog,” Berger tells NBC 10 Boston. “You love them as if they were family.”
But on his way to save his canine friend, Berger fell in, too.
Wellesley Police & Fire
According to a video released by Wellesley Police, when authorities arrived at the scene, “Both human and dog were well offshore and unable to make it back.” So, local firefighters sprung into action.
The drone footage shows rescue crews pulling Berger out of the water and returning him to shore in a matter of minutes. The crew then returned to the dangerously cold water to rescue Berger’s dog. Luckily, they were able to rescue the pup successfully.
Following the rescue, Berger was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital; meanwhile, Tommy was taken by police cruiser to a clinic and treated for hypothermia.
According to police, “Both human and dog are okay after being evaluated at the hospital and a vet clinic.”
Berger later estimated to NBC 10 Boston that he had been in the lake for 10 to 15 minutes, while Tommy waited 25 to 30 minutes before rescue.
As a trained EMT, Berger is thankful to the crews that saved him and his dog’s life. The Fire Department’s Deputy Chief Michael Gigante told NBC 10 that, in this case, it was much harder to rescue the dog.
“You can see from the video that they’re just absolutely so well trained,” Berger said. “It was just like two guys I was hanging out with. I mean, they executed flawlessly.”
Denis Tangney Jr/Getty
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The state of Massachusetts says it is impossible to tell when ice is safe. “Always consider ice to be potentially dangerous. You can’t judge ice conditions by appearance or thickness alone; many other factors like water depth, size of waterbody, water chemistry, currents, snow cover, age of ice, and local weather conditions impact ice strength,” according to Mass.gov.
The state also recommended that residents not try to save pets who fall into the ice: “Do not attempt to rescue the pet; go find help. Well-meaning pet owners can easily become victims themselves when trying to assist their pets. Remember to always keep pets leashed while walking on or near ice,” Mass.gov added.
“The big message in this case is if your dog goes in the water, call 911 and wait for help to come,” Gigante says.
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