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Golden Retriever Rescued from Icy Pond in Westport

The rescue was successful because the owner immediately called 911 and did not attempt to rescue the animal. Nationally, 67 percent of "would-be rescuers" become victims themselves, according to Assistant Fire Chief Robert Yost.

 

Westport firefighters saved a golden retriever’s life after it had wondered onto thin ice and fallen into a pond. 

The Westport Fire Department received a report at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday that a dog had fallen through the ice on a pond in the back of 18 Hales Road.

“Firefighters immediately donned their cold water suits and went out to rescue the dog while tethered to a rope from shore,” Assistant Fire Chief Robert Yost said in a news release. 

The dog was rescued and turned over to an Animal Control Officer who then took the dog to a veterinarian for evaluation.

“The Westport Fire Department would like to remind you to never walk on ice unless you are absolutely sure it is safe,” Yost said. 

If you see a person or animal that has fallen through the ice, immediately call 911, he said.

“The successful outcome of this rescue was due to the immediate call to 911 and not attempting to rescue the animal. There is a national figure of 67 percent of would be rescuers become victims themselves,” Yost said.

John Loeser February 28, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Worth the cost? Yes! Dogs and humans have served each other almost from our origins. Amd payback fpr Service Dogs? Such rescues also provide our first responders very real practice for that next human rescue. Worth it !.
EMR February 28, 2013 at 01:36 pm
Thank you Wesport's Bravest!

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Publius Redux June 18, 2013 at 08:28 pm
Liz: It should be "...Crush List that lets users...". When you type 'let's', it means 'letRead More us'.
Liz Mitchell Worthington June 19, 2013 at 07:54 am
Hey Publius! Thanks for the catch. I posted this yesterday with the very cool Patch app but it mustRead More have auto corrected on me. I've made the change and appreciate you letting me know.
Sanchez June 19, 2013 at 07:51 am
Mad Mothers is a great moniker. Illegals from Mexico have a much much higher incidence of drivingRead More drunk than any other group. Drunk driving is a way of life in Mexico and they bring that here with the deaths and injury that follows. Truly Mad Mothers.
Milton June 19, 2013 at 11:07 am
Very sad indeed. MADD has done great work. It is a real shame that they would let politics trumpRead More protection of our children from drunk drivers
Sanchez June 19, 2013 at 01:53 pm
Milton, it is the same with the environmental groups. they want to protect the snail darter but doRead More not want to get involved with the illegal immigration issue. Why should they you may ask? google images of "border trash" and see why these groups should be concerned.
Thomas Paine June 18, 2013 at 01:29 pm
And here's more about the article:Read More http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/06/18/ms-magazines-my-month-with-a-gun-story-shooting-blanks/?print=1
Thomas Paine June 18, 2013 at 01:32 pm
The concluding paragraph from the item above: "Hopefully her 30-day experience will remove herRead More fear of firearms and help her recognize that the vast majority of American firearms owners have taken to their responsibility with the necessary seriousness and gravity required. Maybe she’ll also learn that no matter how many laws you pass, you can’t regulate irresponsibility out of existence. Grown-ups still have to be grown-ups. Maybe she will also learn how the Bill of Rights is supposed to work, and how one amendment strengthens another. At a minimum, people like Heidi Yewman should be passingly familiar with the Constitutional rights they’re agitating to take away from their fellow citizens."
Thomas Paine June 18, 2013 at 01:44 pm
PR - I am out of town Thursday evening but you should attend this one:Read More http://weston-ct.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/gun-violence-panel-at-trinity-episcopal-this-thursday_087922d8
Bethlehem Lutheran Church June 17, 2013 at 02:36 pm
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Publius Redux June 17, 2013 at 03:38 pm
A simple truth: when those who call Christ as King do that which He has commanded, we realize thatRead More none of us need the government's handouts, which is just a 'slave to the lender' mindset.
Ronnie Raygun June 17, 2013 at 09:32 am
never forget Newtown...!! (RNS) Each Father’s Day, Neil Heslin and his son, Jesse Lewis, usedRead More to go to a car show. But that tradition died when 6-year-old Jesse was shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. This Father’s Day, Heslin, who has been active with other Sandy Hook parents in pushing for gun control legislation, is giving his support to the No Father’s Day campaign. Speaking at a media teleconference to launch the campaign, Heslin said, “Jesse was my only child, my only immediate family. I don’t have a father to share Father’s Day with.” Initiated by PICO National Network’s Lifelines to Healing Campaign, the campaign asks participants to send e-cards to Congress, urging passage of legislation to create universal background checks and end gun trafficking.
Ronnie Raygun June 17, 2013 at 09:32 am
(RNS) Each Father’s Day, Neil Heslin and his son, Jesse Lewis, used to go to a car show. ButRead More that tradition died when 6-year-old Jesse was shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. This Father’s Day, Heslin, who has been active with other Sandy Hook parents in pushing for gun control legislation, is giving his support to the No Father’s Day campaign. Speaking at a media teleconference to launch the campaign, Heslin said, “Jesse was my only child, my only immediate family. I don’t have a father to share Father’s Day with.” Initiated by PICO National Network’s Lifelines to Healing Campaign, the campaign asks participants to send e-cards to Congress, urging passage of legislation to create universal background checks and end gun trafficking.
Sanchez June 17, 2013 at 10:27 am
Exploiting dead children for your political points is disgusting and vile. Given the poster thereRead More can be no surprise about such.
Publius Redux June 14, 2013 at 11:17 pm
From linked article_______ "The victims “have a financial uncertainty, they need theRead More money,” Feinberg said. “You have to say, ‘Here’s the money, here’s what we’re doing with it.’” Some Newtown families say that didn't happen in their town. Lafferty-Hassinger posted to Facebook her frustration about the United Way requiring "proof of hardship" to determine how to distribute funds: "We shouldn't have to fight for what is rightfully ours, but we won't be taken advantage of in our darkest hour," she wrote. "We've all been walking a fine line between not wanting to profit from the death of our loved ones and not wanting someone else to profit from our source of grief. We went down when we were kicked, but we are Sandy Hook. It's time to stand back up."___________ I reckon my questions are thusly: What financial uncertainty is there in the death of a child, AND since when did money that is donated privately become something that is 'rightfully' belonging to someone else due to a tragedy that is not a natural event like a tornado or hurricane?