Firefighters safely rescued a puppy after it walked onto Grandwood Lake near Gurnee and fell through the ice Friday morning, officials said.
The Gurnee Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded at 11:16 a.m. Friday to Grandwood Lake in Grandwood Park, which is near Gurnee.
Emergency crews received a report that a Goldendoodle puppy was half in and half out of the water about 40 feet into the lake.
Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Heraver told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that a fire engine and an ambulance, totaling five firefighters, responded.
Crews arrived, donned cold water exposure suits and entered the water.
A neighbor allowed firefighters to use a small boat and the Goldendoodle was safely rescued within 15 minutes of the call, Heraver said.
Firefighters wrapped the dog up to keep it warm and turned it back to the owner, who was at the scene.
Heraver said the dog was in “great condition.”
The battalion chief said part of the reason the fire department takes these calls seriously is to prevent bystanders from going into the water and putting themselves in danger.
“We want to make sure we help the animal in peril,” Heraver said.
Heraver said his department responded to an ice rescue involving a human just three weeks prior.
Friday’s call marks the second ice rescue that the Gurnee Fire Department recently responded to, which Heraver said is unusual for this early in the cold season.
The Gurnee Fire Department conducts annual training for ice rescues both in the classroom and outdoors.
Every member of the department learns about the dangers of ice rescues and participates in a hands-on mock scenario where they go into the water and rescue a person acting as a victim, Heraver said.