KENOSHA, Wis. — A new four-legged friend has made a temporary home with the Coast Guard of Kenosha.
Coast Guard members rescued a dog from the icy waters near the Great Lakes Yacht Club in Kenosha Harbor on Thursday.
According to a release from the United States Coast Guard, an officer saw the dog fall off the pier around 1:40 p.m.
The alarm was sounded, and the station's Ice Rescue Team immediately jumped into action, assembling their ice rescue gear while other officers rushed over to the pier.
“She was struggling to swim between the ice floes in the harbor and couldn’t climb onto any of them,” stated Senior Chief Petty Officer Christopher Skala.
Skala, one of the officers to assist with the rescue, says the dog was in the water for about 15 minutes before she was able to make it close enough for them to pull her up onto the pier.
The ice rescue team quickly wrapped the dog in a wool-warming blanket and checked for injuries before transporting her back to Station Kenosha.
The dog was taken to the Kenosha Humane Society, where she was cared for and then released to station personnel.
Amberly Arellano a Petty Officer, Second Class with the guard, says their new fearless friend has already settled right in to their unit.
"She knows where she's going, she knows where everything is," said Arellano. "She came in and she warmed all of our hearts."
She wasn't wearing a collar and wasn't chipped when they rescued her, so where she came from is still a mystery, but these officers are holding out hope that her family is coming to get her.
"You can clearly tell she was taken care of, she looks very well fed. We would love to find her owner, reunite her," Arellano told TMJ4.
And if she is in need of a new home, Arellano says there's a list of eager Coast Guard officers offering to take her in.
Anyone who believes this is their dog should contact Station Kenosha at (262) 657-4620.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
