Boy falls through ice while rescuing dogs

PENDLETON, Ore. – A 13-year-old boy survived after falling through the ice while trying to rescue three Rottweilers in the Umatilla River.

Capt. Mark Moore of the Pendleton Fire and Ambulance Department said the “very large” dogs plunged into the water when the ice beneath them broke.

The boy, whose name has yet to be released, was able to get himself out of the water, Moore said. He was examined by medics late Monday and released.

One dog drowned, and another scrambled to safety. Fire crews rescued the other Rottweiler.

“It was dark, and we’re not trained in water rescue, so I told (the boy) we’d get the other dog out if we could reach it,” Moore said.

Pendleton police provided the firefighters with a dog-catching stick in an attempt to reach the scared canine. Moore said a firefighter was eventually able to reach the dog and pull him to shore.

“That dog was obviously very loved by that family,” he said. “The family just kept calling to it and yelling, and I think that ultimately saved him because their voices gave him that little extra thing that he needed to get out of the water.”