Daring Rescue

It was a beautiful sunny winter's day.  Mike and I had returned from church, eaten lunch and Mike decided that before any more of this beautiful day passed by, he was going to take the dogs for a walk thru the timber.  The only problem was that I had let Lilly and Frank out when I came home from teaching Sunday School and they had not returned.  I went out to collect the dogs while Mike got ready to go.  I only found Lilly.  After ascertaining that Frank was not inside the house, Mike headed outside.

He kept calling Frank as he began walking toward the dam at the far end of the pond but received no response.  Finally Mike spotted Frank.  He was standing in the middle of the iced over pond.  Mike kept calling and moved closer to Frank but the dog would not move.  Apparently Frank believed himself to be in danger if he moved.  We assume he heard cracking and felt the ice move.  So Mike called me on his cell phone and told me to collect the other dogs while he went to get Frankie off the iced pond.

I was at a critical point in the making of a new recipe so I did not immediately go outside.  When I did I found Mike using the kayak paddle to help pull himself while in the green kayak across the frozen pond towards Frankie.

When he got near Frankie, he used the log that was frozen in the water to pull himself closer.  Frank lay there and watched Mike come closer but did not move.  Even when Mike told him to come into the boat. Finally Mike got Frankie in the boat although Frank began to reconsider the idea and wanted back out. 

Especially when Mike began using the log to pull himself back to shore.  And again when Mike began using the paddle to move back across the ice.  

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that with Frankie's added weight in the boat, Mike did not have enough strength or traction to pull the two of them back across the ice.  That's when he shouted at me to call our neighbor Nathan to ask him to come help pull them across the ice.  Mike also told me to tell Nathan to bring rope.  

All this I did.  Nathan answered on the third ring.  I told Nathan I had a problem.  Mike was stuck on the ice in a boat with Frankie and needed Nathan to help pull him back to shore with a rope.  Nathan has hunting dogs, horses and his daughter has a cat but none of his 'pets' are indoor animals.  I did not waste time explaining how Mike got stuck on the ice in the first place as Nathan probably thought people who lived in a house with five dogs were already prone to doing strange things.  Nathan said he was on his way.  

Mike and Frankie were left sitting in the boat for awhile because unbeknownest to me, Nathan was not at home.  He and his son Hunter were over at their neighbor, Rons house.  So together with Ron, Nathan and Hunter grabbed rope from Ron's house, headed over to Nathan's house to get more and then drove over to our house.    

That's when phase 2 of operation rescue Frankie began.  Ron and Nathan tied rope together and tried to throw it to Mike but they could not even get close.  

Mike suggested they get his fishing boat that was near by and use it to get closer.  Hunter ran all the way to the dock to pull some life jackets out of our dock box and Nathan went to pull the boat over so it was directly across from Mike.  Then Nathan got in the boat and slid it further out onto the ice.  

And they tried again.  Ron with Hunters help fed the rope to Nathan.  Nathan looped it around his arm and tied a stick to the end of it.  It took a few tries but finally Mike had it.  

After that the rescue went fast.  Mike, Frankie and Nathan were pulled back into shore.  

Frankie did not get out of the boat until it was stuck on dry land.  I immediately put him inside the house.  He seemed no worse for his adventure although Mike's boots, pants and jacket were wet.

Mike and I thanked Nathan, Hunter and Ron many times.  Before they left Ron suggested that Mike add Ron's name to his cell phone contact list.  This was very nice of him to do but we intend to do our utmost not to have this kind of emergency again.  As my girls and Heath, who called later in the day to get the full story, kept pointing out, this was an embarrassing episode although also hilarious.

The girls had many questions and comments when I first sent them the pictures.  Suzanne's initial response was 'Poor baby' obviously referring to the dog and not her father.  After hearing the story, Emily asked if Frankie was Ok now that the event was over.   She also wanted a picture as proof.  Mike replied that Frankie was fine and so was her father 'Thanks for asking."  This was apparently not enough to convince either her or Suzanne that the dog was fine because they called me asking for a picture of Frankie.  I sent one but then Suzanne texted back and asked for another but with today's newspaper included.  Since I do not have a paper newspaper I sent her another picture with the dated bulletin from that days church service.  I have not heard from anyone since.  They must finally be satisfied that Frankie was unharmed.

Mike and I have learned a great deal from this episode.  Frankie is no longer allowed outside unsupervised when the pond is iced over as we have no idea if he has learned his lesson.  And the first priority today is to go and buy our own rescue rope and a pickaxe.  Also, we have picked our first spring pond project.  We are going to add a floating dock behind the house.  That way we will have a post to tie the rescue rope on to if this ever happens again.  Which of course it will not because all of us have learned our lesson.  Surely?!