Advertisement
Amy Gernes of Winona was walking Coco and her 7-year-old yellow Labrador, Deek, on the river dike when Coco wandered onto the ice and fell into open water. Gernes flagged down a car and the driver called 911 at about 6:15 p.m.
 |
Firefighter Brandon Luehmann carries Coco to a heated van Tuesday night after helping rescue the 10-year-old chocolate Labrador from the Mississippi River in Winona. The dog suffered a few cuts on its legs but survived. |
Firefighters were there before 6:20 p.m. Capt. Kim Bartleson and firefighters Brandon Luehmann and Randy Lau went over the dike and down to shore.
Police officer Eric Mueller watched Coco struggle 20 feet out in the current.
“She went under once and the current had her,” he said.
Lau, wearing a coldwater suit and tethered to a rope held by Bartleson and Luehmann, crawled on the ice to open water. He called for Coco and the dog swam to him, he said.
“She was in a hole in the ice and I was able to reach out and grab her by the collar,” Lau said.
Luehmann carried Coco to a heated rescue van and wrapped her in a coat and blanket. She was competing with Deek for friendly attention from the firefighters. Gernes allowed firefighters to transport her and the dog to Companion Animal Care.
Veterinarian Ken Chaffin, owner of the clinic, said he expected to treat Coco for hypothermia using warm intravenous fluids, steroids and shock therapy. But Coco was OK.
“She is a little cold but that’s to be expected. She’s got a normal body temperature. She’s a little portly, so that might kind of help her,” he said.
Chaffin said he’s treated a handful of hypothermic dogs, usually hunting dogs, in his 12 years as a vet.
The firefighters said they get maybe one dog rescue call a year. “Hopefully this is it,” Lau said.
Chaffin took Gernes and her two dogs home.
“Everybody’s safe and sound now,” he said.
City Editor Chris Hubbuch contributed to this story. Reporter Jeff Dankert can be reached at (507) 453-3513, or e-mail: jdankert@winonadailynews.com.
