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Matt the cocker spaniel saved from a watery grave by 17 firefighters
and a very long ladder!
Kilmarnock, Scotland
Having been unfortunate enough to fall into a frozen pond, most of us would settle for a modest rescue involving a couple of old ropes and perhaps a blanket to warm up under afterwards.
If a nearby resident were to offer a cup of tea, it would be gratefully accepted but most certainly not expected.
Imagine then the sheer elation felt by one lucky cocker spaniel who was helped out of the water by an army of 17 burly firefighters this week.
Matt the Spaniel's ordeal began when he slipped into a duck pond having run playfully across the ice at Dean Country Park near his home in Kilmarnock on the west coast of Scotland.
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| (click on pic to enlarge - you'll see only Matt's head out of the water at the end of the ladder) As the terrified eight-year-old pooch struggled to raise himself out of the freezing water fire crews were mercifully scrambled and they were joined by a water rescue unit from Ayr which raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.Using ladders and specialist equipment, they managed to reach Matt and fish the shivering Spaniel out of the pond after what started as a routine walk supervised by his owner's neighbours turned into a living nightmare. The firefighters were hailed as heroes by grateful owner Shelia Johnstone, 78, who wrote to thank them. She said: 'I still can't believe one little dog caused so much fuss and had 17 firemen looking after him. I'm so grateful to all of them. |
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| 'Matt came from the SSPCA's rescue centre at Cardonald so it's actually not the first time he's been rescued - but hopefully it will be the last.' Matt has now been given a clean bill of health. 'The vets have told me he's going to be fine.' added Sheila. 'They put him under the heat lamp and hair dryer as soon as he arrived at the surgery. 'He had been out for a walk with my neighbours when he ran on to the pond and fell in. They were as delighted as me that everything turned out all right in the end.' |
