After a harrowing two hours, the Chicago Police Marine unit on Tuesday morning rescued a dog trapped on a frozen Lake Michigan harbor.
The dog, a black Shepherd type about one year in age, was spotted on the ice at Jackson Park Harbor around 9 a.m. on the 6700 block of South Lake Shore Drive by a Good Samaritan who called police. A Marine Unit diver was seen on the ice at 10 a.m. trying to coax the dog back in, but the pup didn't surrender quickly.
Helicopter footage showed the dog jog back toward shore several times only to head farther onto the ice. The back-and-forth went on for another agonizing half hour before crews surrounded the dog near shore.
The dog laid down on the ice as police and Marine units approached while pedestrians watched nearby. Rescuers tranquilized the dog before they put a collar around him, police said.
"It was a team effort," Lt. Erroll Davis said. "We wanted to make sure the dog got in safe and no other citizens tried to get out there and make a rescue effort."
By 3:45 p.m., officials with Chicago Animal Care and Control said the animal was recovering from the sedation dart. The animal seemed to be in good health, with no critical injuries, and officials were working to locate a possible owner.
The dog did not have a collar on at the time of the rescue but could have a chip, officials said.
Tuesday morning was the coldest in Chicago in two years with wind chills hovering around -10 degrees.
The dog became trapped just as firefighters responded to a 3-11 alarm high-rise fire blocks away on the 6700 block of South Shore Drive. Three people were taken to local hospitals in critical condition. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 9:25 a.m. and began an investigation into the cause.
