Tugboat Crew Rescues Dog Floating On Block Of Ice In Middle Of Lake At Night

March 5, 2020

A tugboat crew rescued a dog floating on a small block of ice in the middle of Muskegon Lake in Michigan.

Credit: Matt Babbitt / Mlive.com

The crew aboard the tugboat Barbara Andrie couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the lone pup adrift in the middle of the lake.

It was around 8:30 p.m. and pitch dark when the dog suddenly appeared in the boat's spotlight.

"I've got to say, my heart almost sank," the boat's captain that night, Dave Wellington, said. "I almost thought I ran him over at first."

When they were close enough, crew members used a pole with a hook on the end to carefully snag the ice block and pull it toward the boat. At one point, the dog slipped off the ice into the water, but was able to get back on his perch, Wellington said.

"You could tell he was cold and afraid and didn't know where to go and what to do," Wellington said. "He was on his little piece of ice that he wasn't giving up, which, truthfully, was the best thing to do."

It took about 20 minutes, but the crew was finally able to slip a rope over the pup's neck and pull him to safety.

Credit: Dave Wellington / Mlive.com

The crew brought the pup blankets and fed him lunch meat.

It turns out, the dog, Max, had gone missing the previous day. The crew was able to contact the owner using the number on Max's collar.

"When we told them where we found Max, the daughter said, 'When we take him to the beach, Max doesn't even like the water'," Wellington said.