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“He must’ve been out for awhile, cause the [ice] was all busted up,” Williams said. “We were the only people there.
“I was not familiar with the pond or I would have jumped in after him,” said Wiliams, who summoned police to Zabriskie Pond off Franklin Avenue around 10:45 a.m. Thursday.
They couldn’t get to the struggling dog, either, and alerted firefighters who eventually fished him out of the icy water and turned him over to TYCO Animal Control.
The poor pup never made it, though.
“It was a horrific scene and those who witnessed it are still traumatized,” an animal control officer said following the death of Murphy, a rescue from a home about a mile away who'd been reported missing a day earlier.
Although all agreed that there was no way that Williams could have gotten to the pooch, he was still heartbroken.
“I will never forget that poor guy,” he said. “What a shame.”
WHAT TO DO?
If yours of someone else's dog falls in the ice, responders say:
1. Call 911.
2. DON’T go in after him or her. Ice that can’t hold a dog can’t hold a human.
3. Dogs are good at waiting to be rescued. Don’t panic while firefighters do the job.
Before that can happen: Keep your dog leashed if you’re anywhere near icy water.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Several responders and readers noted that a photo used by another online media organization in a story about the rescue was a random shot and not the dog who fell through the ice.
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ALSO SEE: Wyckoff firefighters and their colleagues from surrounding towns doused a Saturday morning house blaze.
https://wyckoff.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/morning-blaze-ravages-wyckoff-home/745788/
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