CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A wandering dog out on a frozen Lake Erie caught the attention of a passerby Sunday morning, and it ultimately led to a rescue effort by Cleveland Police and Fire, not to mention, the U.S. Coast Guard.
Kim Michel spotted the Chocolate or Black Laborador out on the ice around 9:30am near the East 72nd Street Marina.
She attempted to get the dog’s attention and bring it to safety without putting herself in danger.
“I yelled, I whistled, I clapped my hands, I had some treats in the car and I tried to rustle the bag of treats but that didn’t work obviously,” Michel said.
“He just kept going further and further.”
Michel made some calls and local animal advocates did what they could to help.
Cleveland police officers, the Cleveland Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the situation and ultimately it was Coast Guard crews who suited up and walked about a quarter of a mile to try to rescue the dog.
“We’ve got a number of layers on to protect ourselves in case we do fall through,” said Laura Roesch, who went out on the ice.
Sadly, they reported the dog kept running east and they couldn’t get close enough to the animal to bring it back to safety.
However, Roesch tells Fox 8 the dog did not seem to be in distress.
“He headed toward the nature preserve and that’s the last we had a visual on him… he was on all fours moving his way faster and we could make through the ice.”
Rescuers said the dog appeared to be around 60 or 70 pounds.
They are hoping the animal makes its way back to warmth somehow. There are no plans to search further for the dog, but the Coast Guard explained they would respond to tips regarding the situation.
