Watch: Firefighters rescue dog that fell through frozen lake in Quakertown
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - First responders in Bucks County rescued a dog that fell through an icy pond while chasing after a flock of ducks on Christmas Day.
Daniel Daccardi and his wife were letting their dog Jack, their 65 pound black lab, go to the bathroom near a lake in Quakertown when his animal instincts got the best of him.
"There were a lot of ducks there in the lake," Daccardi said. "A different kind of duck, a white duck or something, flew across the middle of the lake and [Jack] tore after it."
Jack made it about 100 yards onto the mostly frozen lake when the ice gave way and plunged the dog into freezing cold water.
The couple called for help and two teams of firefighters from Quakertown Fire Company and Richland Fire Department arrived to help rescue Jack.
"He was out there for about a half hour or so, we were thing all kinds of stuff," Daccardi said. "Either he's going to get tired and he's going to drown, or he's going to get hypothermia because it's freeing out there."
Firefighters used a ladder and a dinghy to reach Jack and pull him from the frigid water.
Jack spent Christmas night at the vet, but has since returned home to his loving family and warm bed.