Gardiner firefighters rescue a dog from the icy Wallkill River in the Hudson Valley on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Photos courtesy of David Gilɱaп, of the Gardiner Fire Department
Gardiner, N.Y. — When the pup saw the geese perched on the icy Upstate New York river, he bolted — joyfully chasing the birds.
The dog did not know he was bounding onto thin ice.
To his owner’s horror, Bucky the dog broke through the newly formed ice and fell into the Wallkill River in the Hudson Valley.
The dog’s owner dashed into the water three ᴛι̇ɱes to try and save his pup, he later told firefighters. But it was bitterly cold both outside and in the water, and the ɱaп knew he needed help.
“I’m the type who never asks for help and gets it done themselves, but I realized if someone didn’t come soon myself and my dog were goners,” the dog’s owner wrote on Facebook.
Gardiner firefighters rescue a dog from the icy Wallkill River in the Hudson Valley on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Photos courtesy of David Gilɱaп, of the Gardiner Fire Department
The ɱaп called 911 for help at 2:17 p.m. Saturday, firefighters said, and the Gardiner Fire Department rushed to the river.
When the department arrived, Bucky was stuck in the ice about 30 feet from the shore, firefighters said.
Capt. John Barton and Firefighter Tony Baxter, both of whom are ice rescue certified, put on protective dry suits. Baxter waded into the cold, slushy river and — with Barton helping from the shore — fetched the pup back to dry land, firefighters said.
Bucky was reunited with his owner and taken by New Paltz Rescue Squad to Gardiner Animal Hospital, where the dog was examined and found to be a very good, healthy boy, firefighters said.
Gardiner firefighters said the rescue served as a good reminder to beware of ice.
“It may look like fun, but falling through the ice is paws-itively dangerous!” firefighters said in a news release. “While the story below ended with treats and belly rubs, please remember that when around frozen rivers and ponds, keep yourself on a short leash and stay off the ice!”
Gardiner firefighters rescue a dog from the icy Wallkill River in the Hudson Valley on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Photos courtesy of David Gilɱaп, of the Gardiner Fire Department