Shrewsbury Firefighters Rescue Dog From Icy Pond Water

SHREWSBURY, MA — Shrewsbury firefighters pulled off a dogged rescue on Friday and pulled one local pup from the icy waters in Flint Pond.

Firefighters were called to the pond just after 9 a.m. for a report of a dog that had fallen through the ice. A few attempts were made to reach the dog before firefighters were able to bring him to safety. At first, a firefighter in a rescue suit with a line attached tried to wade through the water to help the dog, Rocky, but was unable to because of the amount of sand and silt at the bottom of the pond.

It took two firefighters on a hovercraft to get close enough to Rocky to grab him and pull him aboard.

Rocky was safely reunited with their owner at the nearby boat ramp.

“The owner did the right thing by calling us to rescue the dog rather than trying to rescue the dog themselves,” Shrewsbury Fire Chief James Vuona said. “During the winter months, temperatures can fluctuate and cause the ice to weaken, so it’s important that residents do not attempt to walk out on any, regardless of the depth of water. Thank you to everyone involved with today’s rescue and for their skilled, thoughtful work to safely reunite the dog and the owner. This incident showed how critically important the Hovercraft is during the winter months when the ice is very thin. I credit our firefighters for continually training with the equipment and on Ice and Water Rescue Techniques”