Two dogs that were out on the ice since early Friday morning were rescued around 6:15 Friday night. Crews took them to the Lucas County Dog Warden.
A number of people lent a hand throughout the day trying to get help, to get them back to shore
They appear to be Labrador Retrievers or Lab mixes. One is black, the other is yellow. They were so far out on the ice that it is very difficult to see them from shore but our camera captured them pacing back and forth on the ice.
Calls started coming in to the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office early this morning about the two dogs. They're in an area near Cullen Park.
Warden Julie Lyle says her crews did go looking for the dogs,"We went and looked for them a couple times and we never saw them. They are so far away from shore they are not where we can just reach out and grab them."
A number of people who live in the area felt helpless as they watched the animals and they called everyone from the Fire Department to the Coast Guard for help, but safety is the top priority in these cases and they can't put people in danger to save the dogs. Lyle says that's the case with her staff as well ,"We need to keep our people safe, so if we sent our people out and they fell through the ice then we would be using county resources to save our people, and our staff needs to stay safe."
The Warden did contact other agencies but at this point no one is able to help with this particular situation, "We have had the Washington Township Fire Department help rescue a dog in the past. But since these dogs are not stuck in one spot, if you approach them with the hovercraft, they may run and the rescue attempt won't result in a capture. If the dogs had fallen through the ice and were stuck, the hovercraft may be able to help, but that is not the case so they can't help."
Fortunately, the Washington Township Fire Department was able to rescue the dogs about 6:40 p.m.
Lyle was hopeful the animals would get hungry and head back to land,"We're obviously concerned but we would be even more concerned if it was ten below zero and windy out there. Dogs are resilient and it may take them getting hungry and wanting dinner for them to get enough nerve to go home."
And a familiar voice may be just what they need to hear,"If you know the owners, please get a hold of them. If they go out and call the dogs, the dogs may be confident enough to go back to the owners."
We asked neighbors, but no one knew who the dogs belong to.
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