Police Rescue Man Attempting To Save His Dog In Icy River
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Ice and the freezing cold water continue to pose dangers in Maryland.
Alex DeMetrick has more on a rescue in Annapolis on Wednesday that was triggered when a family's pet plunged through the ice on the South River.
A steep hillside drops down to the South River, favorite terrain for Sweets, the young Labrador Retriever belonging to 77-year-old Vytas Penkiunas and his wife .
Wednesday was the dog's first exposure to ice and last, despite the efforts of three Anne Arundel County Police officers who responded to the wife's 911 call.
"She called up to us from the bottom of the hill and the gentleman was in the water trying to find his dog," said Cpl. Chris Rajcsok, Anne Arundel County Police Department.
"He actually stumbled upon his dog, at which point he tried to pick him up and bring him out of the water," said Cpl. Joey Gatens.
There are still signs of where Mr. Penkiunas broke ice with his hands to pull his dog up struggling back to shore.
"I think he was probably overcome with exhaustion and just the totality of everything that had happened; he passed out right back into the water," said Gatens.
Unlike trained rescuers wearing survival suits, the officers were in patrol uniforms when they went into the water.
"When we got him out he came to and he was kind of confused. He was wondering why three police officers were pulling him out of the water," said Officer Jeff Kelley.
The loss of their pet is still raw, and Sweets' owners did not feel up to talking on camera.
"There's actually YouTube videos that show how to perform CPR on dogs," said Gatens.
A new dog owner himself, Corporal Gatens studied the YouTube videos, and performed CPR on the unconscious dog pulled from South River.
"So I tried my best to resuscitate the dog. It looked like he'd just succumbed. Was just exposed too long," Gatens said.
Sweets' owners are grateful for the help police provided in unforgiving conditions.
Fearing hypothermia the police took steps to warm up the man who fell into the water. After being checked out at the hospital the 77-year-old man has returned home.
