A Miniature Bulldog stranded in Lake Erie was safely brought to shore thanks to the heroic rescue of Ohio firefighters.
Miniature Bulldog in Over His Head
The 1-year-old pup is named Diesel, and the clever canine escaped from his Michigan Avenue home on Dec. 28 by climbing over a snow drift while his dog dad was napping.
Tom Kolesar, the dog dad in question, told the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram that when his wife summoned Diesel and his two dog siblings, only one pooch responded.
“About 10 minutes later, she steps out back, calls for the dogs, our Boxer came running, but these two were nowhere to be found,” Kolesar said.
One of the dogs was discovered traipsing around the neighborhood, but Diesel had seemingly vanished. Then a woman spotted the Miniature Bulldog behind the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, near the shoreline of Lake Erie. She watched as he emerged from the water, walked around, then returned to the lake. She alerted the Lorain Fire Department. First responders soon arrived on the scene.
A Close Call
Firefighters determined that Diesel had been in the freezing Lake Erie water for at least 10 minutes, according to Jeff Fenn, the department’s assistant chief, who spoke to the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.
“He was showing signs that he was about done,” Fenn told the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. “Scared us to death, I was like, please don’t. We had our ice suits coming and stuff like that to dress out and jump in and get him, but that would have been difficult with the 10-foot drop into the water.”
The firefighters used a pole that they hooked onto Diesel’s collar to pull him out of the lake. A rescuer took him into his arms and onto the shore.
“This afternoon, members of LFD rescued a young dog from Lake Erie. The dog was transported to the Animal Hospital by LFD,” the Lorain Fire Department posted on its Facebook account along with a photo of the grumpy-looking pup.
Diesel warmed up under veterinarian supervision at the animal hospital and was then reunited with his family.
“We walk [Diesel] during the summers, and we walk him to the edge of the water, but he never expressed an interest in going any deeper,” Kolesar said.
Hopefully Diesel learned his lesson, but if not, he always has the doggy paddle.
