COLLINGSWOOD — First responders jumped into the icy Cooper River in Collingswood to rescue a Golden Retriever who fell through the ice on Monday.

Two units of the Collingswood Fire Department, responding to a passerby who called 911, helped rescue a Golden Retriever named Lacie that fell through around 1:30 p.m.

The first responders used axes and their fists to break the ice and bring the dog back to shore, according to CBS Philly, and had to climb a ladder lowered into the water to get back out.

 

The NJ Weather Network station in nearby Cherry Hill reported an air temperature of 16 degrees with a wind chill between 2 and 8 degrees at the time of the rescue, according to Townsquare New Jersey Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow, who said the water temperature was in the 30s.

Chief Keith Davis told Fox Philadelphia it took about 15 minutes to rescue the dog.

Lacie was treated for hypothermia and returned to her owners, who had reported the dog missing during the rescue. Veterinarian George Motley with NorthStar VETS told CBS Philly that had the dog been in the water much longer, the hypothermia could have been life-threatening.

The firefighters were checked over as well by fellow first responders.

It was the second rescue of the day in New Jersey. A 21-year-old man was rescued by the Coast Guard off Barley Island at the mouth of the Navesink River in Rumson on Monday morning.

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