TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Three fire departments worked together to rescue a dog from the Kansas River Monday afternoon.
Two people were walking along the river when their dog, Oskie, took off about 20 to 30 feet onto the ice near the Willard Bridge. The dog fell through into the water.
“She loved the snow and she thought it was solid ice, and it was not,” Oskie’s owner said. “There’s no way we would have been able to make it out there (to get her ourselves).”
The Shawnee County Fire Dist. #4 - Dover and Rossville Fire Departments were called to the scene, and Mission Township Fire was called in later for their expertise in water and ice rescues.
Dover Fire Chief Dirk Christian said the dog was sitting on a shelf of ice when they arrived.
Two ice rescue technicians were able to tie a rope around themselves and wade out in the river to rescue the dog. She was in the river for about 45 minutes, with the rescue itself taking half an hour.
“When you talk about pets, they’re members of our family,” Christian said. “We’d go out there for a whitetail deer. It’s the way we do it - as long as we can do it safe; as long as we can manage the risk and we’ve got the right personnel, and the right equipment, and we got time on our side.”
Oskie was sporting some frosty fur when she made it to shore, but by Monday evening, was warmed up and ready for her next adventure.
For some excellent video of the rescue, go to:
https://www.ksnt.com/news/top-stories/dog-rescued-off-frozen-kansas-river-near-rossville/
