PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria Fire crews responded to reports of two dogs trapped on an ice shelf on the Illinois River Sunday.
Just after noon, crews met with a Peoria Police Officer and a worker with the Peoria Animal Welfare Shelter (PAWS). According to Battalion Chief Michael Hughes, both dogs were stranded on the ice about 200 feet from shore.
The Peoria Fire Department (PFD) used an inflatable boat and firefighters equipped with Ice Rescue Suits to get the dogs. Hughes said one dog had fallen through the ice but got itself back up.
Rescue rope was used to keep the boat secure as the firefighters approached the dogs. One came back to shore on the boat, while the other backed away from the firefighters towards the shore.
The second dog fell through the ice again but ultimately made it back on land.
In a statement from PFD, Hughes said, “Although wet and scared, the two dogs appeared to be unharmed and were safely returned to their owner.”
