Southlake Police help rescue dog from frozen pond

GREAT RESCUE! This is a long 6-minute video, but we couldn’t find parts to cut out. We wanted to make sure you all see the harshness of these conditions and the severity of this rescue. Hear the wind. Hear the determination. Watch the conditions. Be advised, that Shadow’s yelps are initially a little tough and sad to hear, but we wanted you to see this start to finish.

On Valentine’s Day at around 2:38pm, we received a 911 call that a dog had fallen through a thin layer of ice of a pond at the White Chapel Church. Officers and firefighters raced to the pond, with officers arriving in a mere 7 minutes from the time the call was made.

When officers got there, they saw Shadow, a medium sized black lab, struggling to cling to a sheet of ice with his body submerged. Our original plan was to wait for Southlake Fire to arrive with their ladder to rescue him, but precious moments began slipping by, and the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Officers and Shadow’s owner (Scott) called to him and he started paddling his way towards shore. He broke up a little ice trying to swim closer, but then got stuck. At this point, you can see Sergeant Music already taking off his duty belt and tightening his coat as Shadow cried and yelped for help.

Sergeant Music used a catch pole to break up the ice while Scott ran home to get a pool float. Sergeant Music slowly trudged down into the pond into shoulder height water as Scott returned with the float. Together they were able hoist Shadow onto the float and have officers on shore pull Sergeant Music and the pool float back in with a rope.

The bravery, courage, and teamwork between the entire police shift, Scott, and firefighters is to be commended.

Please watch your pets over the next few days, as many of them have never seen ponds and pools freeze over. They’re fast and curious! We’ve seen a number of pet rescues on Facebook lately, so please please please keep a vigilant eye on your beloved family members!

Scott sent us pix (in the comments) of Shadow resting at home in perfect health.

Video credit Southlake DPS