Dog rescued from pond by quick-thinking neighbors
By Elizabeth Klinge
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ELGIN, Iowa (KWWL) — A dog fell through the ice on a pond last week while his owner was out of town, prompting a dramatic rescue by two neighbors.
Huck, a 70-pound dog, wandered onto the frozen pond after his owner, Lizz Johnstone, left a door with a dog flap open on what seemed like a nice day. Johnstone was out of town when the incident happened.
“The weather was so nice that day that I had left one of the doors open that has a dog flap in it for them to go in and out,” Johnstone said.
Cody Halverson was driving past Johnstone’s house when he spotted Huck struggling in the icy water.
“So I was leaving and I have to come past Liz’s house to get home,” Halverson said. “And I just happened to look out on her pond and I could see the ice and the black dog head sticking up out of the ice.”
Halverson and his sister-in-law Lori grabbed a boat and paddled out to reach the dog. Lori broke through the ice as Halverson steered the boat toward Huck.
“As soon as we got there, his front feet were resting on the ice and he let go of the ice and then that’s when he grabbed him,” Halverson said.
Pulling the soaking wet dog into the boat proved difficult. But adrenaline helped them lift Huck to safety.
“Yeah, it’s funny what your adrenaline can do,” Johnstone said.
Once they reached the dock, Huck jumped out and shook himself off.
“As soon as we got to the dock he jumped right up on the dock and that was it,” Halverson said. “He shook a few times and he was happy to be on shore.”
Johnstone said Huck has fully recovered.
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