South Lake Tahoe firefighters rescue two dogs from icy river
Submitted by editor on Sun, 01/29/2017 - 11:33am
South Lake Tahoe firefighters rescued two dogs that fell through the ice along the Truckee River on Saturday. The incident happened near Venice Drive where the river meets the lake after the fire agency received a dispatch call about two dogs in the icy water.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue learned the two dogs had escaped from a home where they were being watched in the Al Tahoe neighborhood. One dog lives in the Tahoe Keys so they may have been trying to get to his home when they had to cross the river. As they crossed, both broke through the ice. People walking in the area saw this and called 911.
SLTFR crews responded, put on their cold water gear and took an ice board into the water to retrieve the dogs who by this time had been in the frigid water for awhile. One of the dogs went under water a couple of times according to SLTFR Battalion Chief Karl Koeppen.
The rescuers went to retrieve the second dog who by that time was hanging onto a piece of ice, with half of his body hanging in the water. He was taken to shore where the other dog had already made it on his own.
Both dogs were wearing tags so Koeppen said they tried to call the owners. When no one answered they involved El Dorado County Animal Control who took both dogs to a veterinarian for a check-up. One of the owners was on their way back from Carson City where they'd been when the incident happened.
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