Honeymoon Bay on Newman Lake is a serene, peaceful spot, especially in the winter. That peace was broken Monday morning when neighbors heard an animal in distress. A quick look revealed a young lab who had broken through the ice.
“I looked out when I heard his cries and realized he was in big trouble,” said Elizabeth Huckaby, a resident at Honeymoon Bay and one of the dog’s rescuers. “He had broken through the ice and couldn’t get out on his own.”
Elizabeth and her neighbors called SCRAPS and began trying to think of how to rescue the dog. One neighbor grabbed a plank of wood and pushed it as close to the dog as possible. “The dog was so lethargic by the time we finally reached him,” said Huckaby. “In a few more minutes he would have been gone.”
When Animal Protection Officer Ted Adams arrived, the dog – nicknamed Newman – had been rescued from the water and was being cared for inside, but the danger wasn’t over. The normal temperature for a dog is around 103 degrees. This lab’s temperature was only 97 degrees.
“The dog was cold to the touch and his gums were light colored (another sign of hypothermia in animals),” said Officer Adams. “It was a fairly serious situation and I had the heat in the cab all the way up hoping to keep him warm.”
Newman has fully recovered from his adventure, but a lack of collar, license, or microchip has left SCRAPS unable to find his owner. If anyone has information on the dog or owner, please contact SCRAPS at (509) 477-2532 using the animal ID 435132.
