The first day in a new location can be frightening for some dogs. A dog is more likely to flee on the day of adoption if they are feeling anxious.
A Labradoodle named Lucy had only recently moved into her new apartment about two months prior, but she was already overwhelmed. She fled as a result and discovered herself in a dangerous situation. Lucy eventually surfaced in the Detroit River on a floating ice block. She froze in place because she was too terrified to escape. She would have suffered if no one had noticed her and been prepared to assist her. Thankfully, though, assistance was on the way. One of her neighbors discovered her trapped on the ice chunks and immediately dialed 911. Because to their prompt response, Lucy’s life was saved.
The 80-pound dog was discovered around 40 to 50 feet from the coast. If not for that, the dog would have frozen or drowned, according to Wyandotte County Police Chief Archie Hamilton, who made the 911 call. Considering that the dog was near the sea, officials decided to contact the US Coast Guard. However, when Wyandotte firefighters arrived on the scene, they had their own suggestions on how to save Lucy. A fireman named Derek Azzopi descended a rope that had been secured to the pie by rescuers. He was seated on the ladder wearing an insulating suit, with his lower half submerged in the water. Azzораrdi wаs bаrеlу а fеw stерs аwау frоm thе trарреd dоg. Thе dоg lау flаt оn thе iсе сubе, rеfusing tо budgе. Luсу wаs rеsсuеd аftеr а tоtаl оf 30 minutеs.
Sо Azzораrdi lаssоed thе dоg with а саtсhроlе аnd gеntlу рullеd hеr tо shоrе. At first, Lucy was reluctant to touch the icy water, but once Azzopardi had her in his arms, she calmed down enough for him to gently carry her to safety. Wyandotte Assistant Fire Chief Tom Lyon said, “It turned out really well.” She was probably just overwhelmed with gratitude because she couldn’t speak and had such huge brown eyes. The firefighters are grateful that the neighbors requested assistance rather than trying to do the rescue themselves.
They could have put themselves in danger if they had. Every year, Wyandotte firefighters respond to one or two dog ice requests. Because firefighters are aware that dogs are members of families, they are constantly quick to save the day in dangerous situations like these.