Divers plunge into frigid water for dog

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WISH) - The divers from the city of Lawrence train for icy conditions, but today they jumped in for the real thing.

Lawrence city firefighters plunged into frigid waters Saturday morning, rescuing a dangerously cold terrier from a Quail Creek Subdivision pond.

Carol Thomason said she drove up as firefighters arrived and was thankful someone was there to help.

"We got out of the car and of course we wanted to jump in and save the dog,” said Thomason.

Lawrence Firefighter, Steve Lizon, said the water’s extreme conditions required urgent actions.

"When we got there the dog was barely hanging in,” said Lizon. “So we just jumped out of the truck, tethered with a rope, and slid across the ice."

But the approximate four-year-old dog tried to swim away, making a challenging rescue for Lizon and his fellow divers.

"The ice broke as I got to the edge of it so I kind of went in waist high,” said Lizon. “He was under the ice, he wasnt actually above the water."

Lizon said he grabbed the poodle terrier mix and handed him off to paramedic Lisa Saylors, who started drying him off.

"It kind of stimulated him as we were drying him off and got him breathing again and at that point we put an oxygen mask on him, like we would a person and gave him some oxygen," said Saylors.

Incidently, the dive team from the city of Lawrence doesn't train to rescue animals, but members say it was a way of sharpening their skills in case another rescue occurs.

The dog was taken to the Post Pet Hospital where veterinarian, Dr. Randall Grosser, treated the animal.

"I don’t know how long he was in the water,” said Grosser. “Our thermometers go down to 94 and his temperature didn’t register."

It appears he broke free from a chain and got loose. There was no micro chip and no tags on his collar.

He will remain under Dr. Grosser's care until the owner can be located.

"So far, he’s one very lucky dog," said Grosser.