Firefighters worked to rescue a puppy that was stranded on Wonder Lake after a bystander spotted it walking around the icy lake Tuesday afternoon.
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District responded around 12:17 p.m. Tuesday to a distress call reporting a dog stranded in the middle of Wonder Lake.
A resident had posted a photo in a community Facebook group after spotting the dog.
“The community rallied together, with numerous neighbors alerting authorities to the situation,” Wonder Lake Fire Chief Mike Weber said.
Weber said he arrived on the scene and requested the fire district’s airboat to assist.
The specialized airboat crew launched and navigated through the icy waters toward the distressed German Shepherd puppy.
Weber said rescuers faced challenges during the rescue operation due to the dog evading capture multiple times.
The puppy also fell into the frigid waters while evading capture.
“The dedicated airboat crew persisted,” Weber said, adding that various attempts were made and the crew was able to corral the dog until it was successfully pulled to safety.
Weber said the dog entered the water from the Wonder View subdivision.
It traveled northwards towards the Wonder Lake Marina and eventually reached the ending point just north of the marina.
McHenry County Animal Control assisted in the operation and the dog has since been reunited with its owner and is back home.
“The WLFPD expresses its gratitude to the community members who promptly reported the incident and acknowledges the seamless cooperation with Animal Control throughout the rescue operation,” Weber said.