It happens countless times every year: Dogs gaze out at an icy or ice-covered river or lake, decide they absolutely need something out there, and tear across the ice, only to fall through it and begin that hopelessly sad and endless dog paddle, unable to hoist themselves back onto solid ground.
It happened on Jan. 8 in Bourne, Mass., when Ruby fell through the ice into a pond next to her home. It happened on Jan. 9 in Boston, when 13-year-old Husky Sylvie fell through the ice into the freezing cold water at Pleasure Bay. And it happened in Wellesley, when Crosby, a Golden Retriever, fell through the ice into the Charles River. (Clearly, Massachusetts was hard hit this year.)
And every time, we see courageous rescue personnel rush to the scene, brave the icy waters, and give everything to the rescue.
Today (Tuesday, Jan. 14), some of those rescuers are are going to be honored, daytime talk show Hollywood-style. According to Boston.com, four of the firefighters who saved Crosby flew to California yesterday (Monday) to appear on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show today. It starts at 4 p.m., but check your local listings.
Those men and women are Wellesley Fire Capt. Jim Dennehy, Lt. Paul Delaney, Dave Papazian, and Joan Cullinan.
Their story began in late December, when Crosby fell through the ice into the Charles River during an afternoon walk, when she started chasing a squirrel. Members of the Wellesley Fire Department showed up, donned ice suits, and got to work.
“The dog wanted to get out of the water pretty bad,” said Dennehy. “It was cold, so the dog was shivering pretty good. There was a current, so the dog would have tired out after a certain amount of time.”
Finally, one of the rescuers grabbed Crosby by the collar, and the team on shore threw a rope to haul everybody back. On shore, they warmed up Crosby in the back of a cruiser before returning her to her owner.
PETA, for one, has stepped up to honor the bunch, giving them the Compassionate Fire Department Award.
“The compassion and heroism shown by the Wellesley Fire Department is an inspiration,” said PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman in a statement. “Wellesley is very fortunate to have first responders who are ready to protect and serve both residents and their beloved animal companions.”
The award includes a framed certificate, a letter of appreciation, and a box of vegan chocolates from PETA.
Today, however, these heroes get the Ellen treatment. Will she make them dance? Let’s hope so. When they were saving Crosby last month, the last thing they probably thought they’d be doing is awkwardly dancing on the Ellen show in early January.
Ah, showbiz.
Via Boston.com
Check out these adorable stories on Dogster:
