SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A family dog fell through thin ice leading to a frantic rescue effort in the freezing waters.
That dog, Dekka, is warm and safe at home in Susquehanna County. But for 20 minutes Monday evening, he was trying to stay above water in a partially frozen lake.
Neighbors heard a dog's yelp at Laurel Lake and realized it was Dekka, the Conning family dog yelping for help.
What happened next showed everyone just how much a family pet means.
When we met Dekka there was no way Mindy Conning was letting him off his leash at Laurel Lake, north of Montrose.
Dekka experienced something that would leave anyone chilled to the bone. The dog fell through the ice and into the freezing cold lake.
"I have no idea what possessed him to go that far down," Mindy Conning said.
Dekka usually runs free when it's cold out and few people are around. Luckily for the pup, Jonathan Baier, his son, and a friend heard and then saw the dog in the middle of the lake.
"He was in distress. He wanted out of that water, and he could not get out," Jonathan Baier recalled.
It was evening the day after Easter. Boys Phillip and Malachi were across Laurel Lake when they heard that dog yelping. They got help. Adults drove around the lake and brought more help to get Dekka out of the frozen lake.
Baier took a photo after alerting Dekka's family. Two men tried to reach the dog on kayaks and when they finally did, Dekka was safe and in the arms of his owner Mindy.
"He came home and ate some chicken noodle soup, warm blankets, and sat on my lap," Mindy Conning said.
Now Dekka is getting a lot of love from his family and his family is extremely grateful for the efforts to save their dog.
"Terrifying to be honest," Conning said. "Our community is amazing."
Dekka's family says a volunteer firefighter tipped a boat trying to rescue the dog. He also had to be pulled to safety.
They're thankful the two boys and all their neighbors pitched in to save Dekka from the frozen lake.