Pepper, a 7 year old Alaskan Klee Kai named Pepper, was out for a morning stroll in Chicago with his owner.
The dog jumped up from his leash and landed on a few icy rocks. Pepper tried to climb back up to his owner but the ice on which he was standing cracked and began floating away.
In situations like these, time is critical. Considering how frigid the lake is, hypothermia can set in “within a matter of minutes,” according to Fire Deputy District Chief Jason Lach.
Chicago Fire Department (CFD), divers had already arrived to help Pepper during a routine morning practice. Pepper was saved by 40 emergency responders in less than ten minutes. A truck with divers, a firetruck, a fire engine and a field officer arrived to rescue Pepper. There were also two ambulances and a helicopter.
Officials in the aircraft saw the dog on an island about 500 feet from shore. Lach said Pepper was “very scared but friendly,” and his owner was understandably distressed.
Veteran firefighters Emerson Branch & Chris Iverson dived into the cold to retrieve Pepper.
Branch and Iverson were able to safely slide into the water by using two 15-foot ladders that were tethered above icy rocks.
Iverson, wearing a thermal suit covering his entire body, swam to the dog within five minutes. Pepper grew nervous and began to growl, then fell from the ice chunk into freezing water.
The canine jumped up and Iverson grabbed him, placing him in a safety harness. All wet, the dog snuggled up to Iverson.
Branch swam out on a Rapid Deployment craft and helped Iverson, Pepper climb onto it before guiding them back to shore.
The entire rescue took approximately 15 minutes.
Lach said Pepper “looked like a blooming fur ball when we got him out of the water and unwrapped him. It was all fur because it was so moist. It looked like more fur than dog.”
Firefighters wrapped Pepper in a blanket and police officers made a hand-off chain to the rocks to reunite him with his owner.
The dog was taken to Veterinary Emergency Group Hospital where staff checked that he was healthy.
The two rescuers’ suits were covered with ice, but they were both unharmed.
Dive accidents happen quite often. Last year, Lach and his Air & Sea Rescue Unit received over 60 calls for the incident, covering everything from ponds, creeks, rivers, and streams between Evanston and Indiana. In the past three years, they’ve pulled five animals, mostly dogs, out of the ice.
These life-saving missions are performed at least once per day by divers throughout the year.
The CFD started training for subsurface dives—where they are completely submerged under the ice—at 31st Street Harbor just this January.
“Diving with the ice is extremely dangerous for us. Our equipment will freeze up in a matter of minutes,” Lach said. “But we get people that fall through the ice. They think ice is safe.”
According to the fire chief, Chicago’s melting ice can cause a soft spot by touching a twig. He hopes Pepper’s incident will serve as a precautionary tale for others.
“The dog was good, warmed up to its owner, and went on its merry way.” Lach said. “But stay off the ice. It’s never safe. … Step into a hole, and you’re out of sight.”
We’re so glad that Pepper made it out of the ice. Bravo to all involved in this rescue!
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