FRANKFORT, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A dog owner is full of praise after it took four firefighters and one police officer to rescue his very cold golden retriever from the Monee Reservoir.
Kim Jones was walking his dog, Rocco, around 5:40 p.m. March 5, when the leash got tangled. When Jones unhooked the dog from its leash for a moment to untangle it, Rocco took off after some geese 250-feet out on the thin ice. The ice broke and the dog fell into the cold water.
Jones called 911, and Forest Preserve Police Officer Dan Rankovich was first on the scene. He prevented Jones from going after his dog.
Jones said the officer was repeatedly yelling, Rocco, keep your head up, as arriving firefighters suited up and went in, one after another, roped together breaking the ice, as they slowly made their way out to the dog.
"You can’t imagine the feeling of seeing the dog in the water and hearing it whining and you can’t do anything to help," Jones said.
The dog was freezing when they got him out, but he was okay. He was in the water for about an hour, and he spent part of the night in front of a roaring fire.
Jones was so appreciative of everyone’s efforts, he and Rocco have made personal stops at both the Monee Fire Protection District fire station and the Forest Preserve District’s police station to thank all involved.
Jones adopted the 2-year-old dog a year ago from a Peoria shelter. The pup is “full of life and almost always on the go,” Jones said. “He’s just a good-natured dog. But the next time he gets tangled up, I won’t undo his leash.”
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