Cooper County Fire safely completes third animal ice rescue this year

COOPER COUNTY, Mo.

Cooper County Fire Protection District has safely rescued three animals this year after falling through ice.

According to a release from the agency, firefighters were called to a partially frozen lake at Warm Springs Ranch on Highway 98 in Boonville after a dog fell into the water on Sunday at 2:56 p.m.

Crews arrived within two minutes and found a dog about 100 feet from the bank, according to the release.

A Cooper County Fire spokesman said in a release the warmer temperatures caused the ice to melt and was not able to support much weight resulting in the ice breaking under Senior Firefighter David Schmidt when he was about halfway to the dog.

Cooper County Fire said in a Facebook post that Schmidt had tried to reach the dog but "became limited in his ability to advance."

Backup rescuer, Firefighter Adam Crawford was sent with a backboard to assist Schmidt and continue the rescue.

The dog, named Beth, was rescued within minutes according to Cooper County Fire.

"The shore crew assisted with pulling the dog and both firefighters back to shore without incident," the media release states. "The firefighters and the dog were in good condition and no injuries were reported."

The spokesperson said this is the third animal ice rescue this year, two dogs and a calf were all rescued by Cooper County firefighters.