A man who fell through the ice on a frozen Michigan lake was rescued after a quick-thinking state trooper used the stranded man's dog to deliver rescue equipment and pull him to safety. .
Bystanders called 911 Thursday after a 65-year-old Traverse City man fell into icy Lake Arbutus, state police said.
A body camera worn by Michigan State Police motor carrier Cameron Bennett captured the rescue, which showed the man initially trapped in the frigid water with only his head and shoulders exposed above the thin ice. A dog was seen standing nearby.
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It shows Mr Bennett first trying to throw a rescue disc attached to a rope to the man. When that fails, Ms. Bennett asks the man to send her a dog.
“Send your puppy here. Will it come?'' he yelled to the man, and the man replied that his dog's name was Ruby.
A 65-year-old man's dog Ruby carries a rescue disc given to him by a state trooper after his owner fell into frozen Lake Arbutus in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Michigan State Police, via Associated Press)
“Ruby, come here! Come here, Ruby!” Mr Bennett shouts in the video before whistling at the dog, which comes running up to him wagging its tail.
The officer tied a rescue disc to the dog's collar and asked the man to bring Ruby back. When she returned to her owner, Bennett told the man to take the disc from Ruby and start kicking her in the legs.
“Kick your legs and get your feet above the water!” he yells, pulling the man onto the lake ice, urging him to hold on to the disc while he continues to pull on the rope, and moving him onto the safer ice near the edge of the lake. I dragged it upstairs. Bennett and a local firefighter then grabbed Ruby's arm and completed the rescue, but Ruby was still attached to the rope.
The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment and later released, according to state police. The agency supported the rescue efforts in a post on X (formerly Twitter), praising Ruby in particular.
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“What a good boy!!! Great ice rescue from District 7, MCO Bennett. Creative thinking saved a life!! Great job. MCO Bennett and Ruby!!” The tweet read, “Amazing Well done with teamwork!'' it says.
