Published: Saturday, December 19, 2009
Man and dog rescued from icy Brier pond
The man went into the water to save his dog and both were saved by an alert neighbor and firefighters
BRIER — A morning walk for a Brier man and Duke, his yellow Labrador, nearly took a deadly turn when the dog fell through ice on a pond and the man went in after him.
Brier police and rescuers from Snohomish County Fire District 1 rushed around 10 a.m. to the pond near Abbey View Memorial Park in the 3600 block of Alaska Road.
Duke was in the water and his owner, 36, was waist deep trying to help, said Leslie Hynes, a fire district spokeswoman.
John Chadwick, who lives near the pond, called 911 when he saw the man in trouble. The 68-year-old retired tugboat captain also launched his canoe.
A toddler-age girl watched from the shore. She was the daughter of the dog’s owner, said Diane Chadwick, the tugboat captain’s wife.
“She’s panicking and screaming, ‘Help, help!’ ” Diane Chadwick said.
Meanwhile, John Chadwick was able to grasp Duke by the collar from his canoe and keep him above water.
Firefighters threw a rescue rope to the dog’s owner, Hynes said. He held on to one end of the rope and tossed the other end to Chadwick in the canoe.
A Brier police officer and a firefighter reached the dog’s owner in a small rowboat. He was able to get into the boat. The rescuers then pulled the canoe and Duke ashore.
“They’re fortunate that the neighbor saw what happened, called 911 and came to their aid,” Hynes said.
Brier Police Chief Donald Lane rushed Duke to an emergency veterinary clinic.
“The dog was in shock and the owner looked like he was suffering from hypothermia,” Diane Chadwick said.
The dog’s owner was cold, but declined aid. The veterinary clinic refused to answer questions about Duke’s condition, citing their policy.
Even though temperatures Friday nudged near 50 degrees Fahrenheit, ice still clung to the pond’s surface.
“Now that the temperature has been above freezing for several days, any ice that remains is even more unstable and dangerous,” Hynes said.
Friday’s incident could have been much worse, officials said.
Nearly two years ago, on Jan. 17, 2007, Seth James, 15, drowned in Martha Lake after he slipped through broken ice.
“To stay safe, stay off the ice,” Hynes said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Brier police and rescuers from Snohomish County Fire District 1 rushed around 10 a.m. to the pond near Abbey View Memorial Park in the 3600 block of Alaska Road.
Duke was in the water and his owner, 36, was waist deep trying to help, said Leslie Hynes, a fire district spokeswoman.
John Chadwick, who lives near the pond, called 911 when he saw the man in trouble. The 68-year-old retired tugboat captain also launched his canoe.
A toddler-age girl watched from the shore. She was the daughter of the dog’s owner, said Diane Chadwick, the tugboat captain’s wife.
“She’s panicking and screaming, ‘Help, help!’ ” Diane Chadwick said.
Meanwhile, John Chadwick was able to grasp Duke by the collar from his canoe and keep him above water.
Firefighters threw a rescue rope to the dog’s owner, Hynes said. He held on to one end of the rope and tossed the other end to Chadwick in the canoe.
A Brier police officer and a firefighter reached the dog’s owner in a small rowboat. He was able to get into the boat. The rescuers then pulled the canoe and Duke ashore.
“They’re fortunate that the neighbor saw what happened, called 911 and came to their aid,” Hynes said.
Brier Police Chief Donald Lane rushed Duke to an emergency veterinary clinic.
“The dog was in shock and the owner looked like he was suffering from hypothermia,” Diane Chadwick said.
The dog’s owner was cold, but declined aid. The veterinary clinic refused to answer questions about Duke’s condition, citing their policy.
Even though temperatures Friday nudged near 50 degrees Fahrenheit, ice still clung to the pond’s surface.
“Now that the temperature has been above freezing for several days, any ice that remains is even more unstable and dangerous,” Hynes said.
Friday’s incident could have been much worse, officials said.
Nearly two years ago, on Jan. 17, 2007, Seth James, 15, drowned in Martha Lake after he slipped through broken ice.
“To stay safe, stay off the ice,” Hynes said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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