I would agree with the last paragraph in this story, in
that you need to be very cautious with offlesh dogs near ice.

And smaller dogs that weigh much less than you do,
will be much more difficult to retrieve when you try
and follow their path.
WRZ

http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m122404d.htm
Neighbors save pooch in peril
Friday, December 24, 2004
Strangers rally to pull dog from lake
By JASON NARK
Courier-Post Staff
HADDON TWP.

A near-tragedy Wednesday in the middle of Newton Lake ended with a
dog's life saved, faith in mankind reinforced for his owner, and a
real estate broker becoming a hero to his kids.

When Buddy, a generally mild-mannered, 1-year-old cocker spaniel,
caught sight of a gaggle of Canada geese on Wednesday afternoon, all
training went out the window, said his owner Michel Donnelly.

"If he sees a squirrel or a bird, that's it," said Donnelly, 42, who
was walking with her two young children on the mild winter day.

As the pooch scampered toward the geese, he made his way onto the ice
on the lake and fell into a hole about 40 feet from shore.

Joe Clarke III heard the family's screams while in the upstairs
bedroom of his lakefront home. A real estate broker with Markheim-
Chalmers in Cherry Hill, Clarke quickly took off his suit and donned
the superhero costume issued by fatherhood - old jeans and a
sweatshirt.

"People started to gather around and they were panicking," said
Clarke, 43. "The dog started to slow down and was putting his head
down. It wasn't looking good."

Clarke charged into the chilly water, but got only chest-deep before
the ice became too thick.

"Does anybody have a canoe?" he yelled.

After getting a canoe from a nearby home, Donnelly jumped in and
Clarke pushed her through the ice toward Buddy.

But as firefighters and a police officer arrived, they were not
pleased to see Donnelly making a bad situation potentially worse.

"There was no stopping her though," said Haddon Township patrolman
Kevin Hoopes, who helped fasten a rope to the canoe.

When Donnelly reached Buddy, she said a last burst of energy enabled
him to pull himself up onto the ice.

"I say that was a Christmas miracle," Donnelly said.

Meanwhile, Clarke had been standing in the same icy water as Buddy
for about 10 minutes, but said a little numbness didn't compare to
Donnelly's efforts.

"She was the one who really went after the dog," he said.

Clarke usually doesn't do things like this, he said, but didn't
really have a choice considering his 11-year-old daughter Taylor
volunteers at an animal shelter in Voorhees.

"She was really plugging me to go in there," he said. "She loves me
now. I'm the king."

Ironically, neither Donnelly or Clarke knew one another's names on
Thursday, or the name of the woman who called 9-1-1 and offered her
canoe and blankets.

What Donnelly does know is that there are a few more good people in
the world, or at least in Haddon Township.

"Sometimes you find that people are pretty much nasty in life," she
said. "And then there's people like this. I'm truly grateful."

SAFETY TIPS

If you are walking your dog anywhere near water, particularly if
there is thin ice, keep it on a leash so it can't run away from you.

If you see an animal that has fallen through the ice, call the
authorities. They will determine if the animal can be rescued safely.

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Jason Nark is at (856) 486-2473 or jnark@ courierpostonline.com