The toy poodle named Copper, owned by Consolidated High School 230 board member Laura Murphy, was stuck in the middle of a pond at 156th Street and Lakeside Avenue when neighbors called the department, according to WGN TV.
“The dog is reunited with the family,” Acting Chief Raymond Kay said. “The dog is well and healthy. And the family is ecstatic.”
Kay said the dog likely walked across the ice-covered part of the pond and it broke, causing the dog to get stuck. Kay said he was glad the department was called in because he doesn’t want members of the public wading in the ponds or walking on the ice.
“If the owner goes out there, we might have to rescue the owner and the dog,” he said. “So we want to get the dog and give him to the owner, and everything is fine.”
At a November fire district board meeting, a member of the public chided the board for considering passing a budget that featured diving and SONAR expenses.
Kay said the district’s firefighters are trained for water diving rescues in the district’s many water areas.
“We’re there whenever there is a safety or rescue need — for individuals and also to save the pets of families,” he said.
(Tribune Local - January 12, 2012)
