Volunteer fire crews use ‘MacGyver’ ingenuity to save dog from frigid Franklin pond

Volunteer Franklin County firefighters used some MacGyver-like ingenuity to help rescue a dog trapped in the icy water of a north county pond this week.

Emergency dispatchers started getting calls about 7:30 a.m. Monday about a dog that had fallen through the thin ice and couldn’t get out of the water, said a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office post on Facebook.

Sheriff’s deputies along with fire crews from Franklin County Fire District 4 and Adams County Fire District 5 responded to help.

They needed a plan to get the large dog out of the frigid water without going into the water themselves.

So a firefighter got into a small boat and used a Leatherman multi-tool to pull the boat across 40 yards of thin ice to get to the open water where the dog was struggling.

The dog was initially hesitant, but, with some coaxing, the firefighter lured the dog close enough to hook its collar and pull it from the icy water, said in the post.

“First responders assisting from the shoreline were ecstatic to see the dog saved; fearful that time was running out. This positive outcome was possible because of valued volunteer first responders,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.