Rescuers save dog after it fell through thin ice at a Kitsap County lake
Feb 15, 2025, 11:13 AM
A Kitsap County sheriff's deputy and a private citizen used a rowboat to save a dog that fell through thin ice on Wildcat Lake. (Photo: Kitsap County Sheriff's Office)
(Photo: Kitsap County Sheriff's Office)
A Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy and a private citizen saved a dog from the icy water of a lake after it fell through thin ice.
The rescue was caught on the deputy’s body cam.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office posted on X.
The video recorded the dog’s yelps as it swam in distress in the chilly waters of Wildcat Lake on Friday.
A neighbor had tried to row out to the helpless animal in a small boat already, but couldn’t get through the ice.
Kitsap County Deputy Chad Miller arrived mintues later to help save the dog.
The dog could be heard yelping and in distress on the deputy’s body camera, as the two men worked to reach it in the chilly water. (Photo: Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office)
He handed the man in the boat a shovel and asked him to use it as an icebreaker at the front of the small rowboat.
The deputy then grabbed an oar and propelled the boat through the ice to reach the struggling dog.
The dog was too heavy to lift up into the boat from the water.
So when they arrived, the neighbor used a rope to harness the dog.
He wrapped the rope twice around the animal’s neck.
As Deputy Miller rowed backwards through the ice, the rope pulled the dog alongside the boat until they were able to reach the shoreline.
A crew from Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue had also arrived at the scene and helped get the dog safely to shore.
After successfully retrieving the animal, the rescuers got the dog, and themselves, warmed up and out of danger.
