Pleasantville Fire Department Rescues Dog From Icy Pond
Pleasantville firefighters made a quick but daring rescue of a large dog that had fallen through thin ice at Opperman’s Pond last Friday afternoon.
Just before 2 p.m., the black canine had ventured out onto the ice before it gave way. The black dog, named Miller, managed to cling to the edge of the ice with its paws while half-submerged in the freezing water before he was spotted by an unknown person at the shore.
Fire Chief Madison Martineau arrived five minutes after receiving the call.
“It probably took two minutes from when the truck got there to when we made contact with the dog using the tower ladder,” Martineau said. “The ice was very thin which meant putting people on the ice to rescue the dog was not an option.”
Martineau said Tower Ladder 5’s 95-foot ladder extended over the ice. A bucket was then lowered to rescue the dog. Reaching down to the dog at the end of the ladder was Pleasantville Fire Department Lt. Ryan Onuma, who safely lowered himself toward the dog.
After a minute or two, Onuma was able to coax the dog, who was uninjured in the ordeal, into the bucket.
One of the firefighters at the scene was able to return Miller to his owner, Martineau said.
Abby is a local journalist who has reported on breaking news for more than 20 years. She currently covers community issues in The Examiner as a full-time reporter and has written for the paper since its inception in 2007. Read more from Abby’s editor-author bio here. Read Abbys’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/ab-lub2019/
