While on their way to rescue a vessel that had become stuck in the ice on frozen Lake St. Clair in Michigan Monday, the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter came across a dog who was in the same predicament.
“It was cold, weak and tired,” Chief Petty Officer Alan Haraf told the Detroit Free Press. “It may have been out there for a couple of days or so.”
He said the 14-year-old dog, who crew members appropriately named Lucky, had dug three burrows in the ice to try to protect himself.
“They said the paws were bleeding, and the nails were pretty much down to nothing,” Haraf said.
At first, the crew thought they were seeing a group of foxes about five miles from the shore. As they got closer, they realized it was a dog with some foxes. The foxes ran off as the ship approached.
“We stopped. We assessed the situation. It was still alive and we launched our ice rescue team,” Petty Officer George Yhl, one of three crew members who put on weather-resistant gear and saved Lucky’s life, told CBC News.
“We had leftover lunch scraps and a bowl of water,” Yhl said. “We eased up to it. We were feeding it lunch meat. And after a while, he let us get close to him. After about 10 minutes, after feeding him and petting him, he was really receptive.”
The crew members lifted Lucky into a rescue basket and hoisted him onto the ship.
“He spent most of the day lying around,” Yhl said. “After a day on board with us, he started walking around.”
When the ship pulled into port in Detroit Tuesday, a seaman took Lucky to a vet, where the dog was treated for frostbite.
Lucky – whose name is actually KC – has been reunited with his worried dog mom, Jodi Benchich, of Romeo, Mich. He had disappeared 10 days before he was discovered on the lake, after he got away from his leash.
“I just dropped everything and went searching,” Benchich told WXYZ. More than a week later, she saw a news report about the rescue, and realized it was KC.
KC lost 30 pounds during the time he was missing and is recuperating from the frostbite.
“He’s definitely got some problems that just need supportive care, antibiotics and just keeping him comfortable,” Dr. Keith Burge, the vet treating him, told WXYZ.
All of KC’s medical costs are being paid for by A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue (ARAR).
“To see his tail wag, and to see him smiling and happy was a very rewarding feeling,” ARAR founder Michelle Hayza told WXYZ. “And this is what it’s all about. This is what animal rescue is all about.”
How KC – and his fox friends – ended up five miles from shore on frozen Lake St. Clair remains a mystery.
“I owe the Coast Guard guys a lot.” Benchich told WXYZ. “It’s amazing that they’ll stop to even help an animal.”
PHOTO: Facebook
The post US Coast Guard Saves Dog Trapped on Frozen Lake appeared first on i Love Dogs.