Water rescue: Dog saved by Long Grove firefighter from frozen pond, video shows
Firefighters and 'Belle' reunited on Monday.
LONG GROVE, Ill. (WLS) -- Long Grove firefighters were reunited with the dog they helped pull out an icy pond.
Long Grove Fire Protection District crews pulled a 120-pound Great Pyrenees named Belle from an icy pond off of Route 53 on Friday morning.
Belle's owner, Roseanne Stavros, said she tried to save her dog, but the sand at the bottom of the pond was making her feet get stuck. She decided to call fire crews.
The dog had been treading water for about 30 minutes before fire crews showed up, according to Stavros.
She said Belle hadn't walked on the pond before, so she's not sure why she was drawn there.
Firefighter Nick McDowell was caught on camera saving Belle from the ice.
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"There weren't too many hiccups in the process," McDowell said. "The ice was able to be broken just by hand. So we were able to create a lane out to the dog."
Stavros said the next challenge was removing the black slime from Belle's fur. After several tries, dish soap did the trick.
On Monday morning, Belle and Roseanne reunited with the rescuers at the fire station.
