Dog rescue.jpg
U.S. Coast Guard team members in Frankfort pull a labrador from the frigid waters of the channel to Betsie Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 3
(Courtesy: Oliver Art Center)
FRANKFORT, MI -- As he inched his way toward a Labrador struggling to stay afloat in icy waters, U.S. Coast Guard member Tim Putnam knew there wasn't much time.
"You could tell he was ready to get out," said Putnam, a boatswain mate third class. "She was pretty shook up."
The dog rescue happened Tuesday, Feb. 3 right outside the Frankfort Coast Guard station, in the channel between Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake.
A worker at the nearby Oliver Art Center captured part of the rescue on video. Watch it here:
Coast Guard staffers were having a meeting about 9:30 a.m. when someone there witnessed the dog fall into the water from the south side channel wall.
Moments later, Putnam and another rescuer were donning their ice rescue suits and getting into the icy channel.
The rescue was difficult because the ice is chunky in the channel and not solid. Putnam had to make his way about 200 feet to the south side of the channel.
"I was able to push the ice out of the way and move forward," Putnam said.
Using a rope and help from other rescuers, the dog was out of the water after an estimated 24 minutes.
"I could crawl on top of the ice for some of it, but it wasn't stable," he said. "It took me a little while."
The dog, who managed to slip through a fence on the south side of the channel before falling in, is expected to make a full recovery, Putnam said.
The animal was taken to the Benzie County Animal Shelter.
"She seems to be in good spirits," Putnam said.
The dog had no tags or chip. Putnam said he's hopeful the owner will come forward and claim the animal.
If not, however, he may look at adopting the animal.
E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison