Tees for Animal Lover
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It is an incredibly happy (and lucky) day for Stella, the seven year old chocolate lab. Stella’s mom let her out, like she does every morning. But something caught the dog’s eye, and she was off. Stella was found in the middle of the, partially frozen, Greater Miami River in Troy, Ohio on Monday morning. She had been there for around a half hour, and was losing steam quickly. The dog was stuck in one spot in the water, surrounded by ice. She was treading water to stay afloat.
“When we got there, the dog looked like [s]he was on his last leg just trying to stay above water – couldn’t get out,” stated Ryan Havenar, the Troy firefighter and paramedic who saved Stella.
Havenar used a special piece of equipment to save the dog. This device is especially designed for icy situations. The two floats on the bottom slide arose the ice and will keep it upright in case ice breaks. It worked perfectly, and the rescue was a success!
“The dog was absolutely exhausted, couldn’t even stand [her] up when we got out of the water,” said Havenar.
Stella was rushed to the vet, who says she was so cold, her temperature wouldn’t even register. They did all they could to raise the dog’s body temperature, including a warm IV and many blankets and cuddles. Thankfully, it worked, and Stella’s mom was called.
According to the vet, Stella’s breed is designed for the frigid waters of Labrador which helped her survive the cold. He said that her thick coat and webbed feet are to thank for pulling her through what could’ve been a deadly situation.
When her mom picked Stella up and saw the footage of what had happened, it brought tears to her eyes.
“It broke my heart,” she said. “I thought I would’ve lost her if I had seen that beforehand.”
It is a happy ending for Stella thanks to the many people that came together to save her life. We imagine she won’t be going for any wintertime swims in the near future!
It took an hour for the vet to get Stella’s temperature up. Blankets and lots of love helped!
Stella’s mom couldn’t contain herself when she saw her baby.
“I’m just so grateful,” she says of everyone who helped her beloved friend.
All image source: Marshall Gorby/WHIO