Sandy Fire Chief Gary McQueen said the call came in at about 8:30 a.m. and they arrived to find a black Labrador named "Mango" crying and yelping as he struggled near a shelf of ice in Hope Lake.
The water in Hope Lake isn't very deep and while Mango's front legs were free, his back legs were stuck in deep mud below the ice, McQueen said.
Firefighters used a small aluminum boat as an icebreaker and eventually made their way to Mango. They reached the dog and realized more gear was required to haul him out.
As firefighters left to get more equipment, Mango would cry out again, McQueen said.
Eventually, firefighters were able to lift the wet and cold dog out of the mud and ice to safety and bring him back to shore.
McQueen thinks Mango got stuck when he ventured out on the ice to get a drink of water. He said the dog seemed happy to be rescued.
“It was similar to rescuing a human in those circumstances," McQueen said, “but we would have used more firefighters if a person fell though the ice.”
(KATU - Jan 24, 2013)
