A runaway dog was reunited with its owner after rescuers waded into a Michigan creek to free it from a foot trap. The dog was believed to have been stuck in the trap overnight.
The rottweiler, Theo, survived the ordeal without major injuries thanks to the efforts of animal control personnel, emergency responders, and the person who called authorities after spotting the dog.
Here's what to know
Theo's owner, Katie Austin, said that Theo had taken off when he spotted a deer, according to WPBN/WGTU. Austin contacted law enforcement and animal control but learned that no one had reported seeing Theo the day he disappeared.
A day later, however, authorities received a report of a dog caught in a foot trap, which sent animal control personnel and several emergency response agencies to Beulah's Cold Creek, beside U.S. Highway 31.
More background
The animal shelter believed Theo had spent all night in the water stuck in the foot trap. When law enforcement reached the creek, he was unable to move, WPBN/WGTU reported.
Bringing Theo safely ashore was a difficult task because of his size. Austin said fire rescue volunteers helped with the effort.
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Austin learned that Theo had been found when a deputy came to her home. Responders were still working to free him at the time.
What's being done?
The situation highlighted the group effort that was necessary to bring Theo home safely. Benzonia Township Fire Station No. 5, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Benzie County Sheriff's Department, and a U.S. Park Ranger were all part of the response. The shelter even dispatched its director and animal control officer, Joe Duncan.
Theo's reunion with Austin came once rescuers had brought him back to shore, WPBN/WGTU reported. The shelter said Duncan and the ranger had entered the creek to secure him and free him from the trap.
Theo was sore but improving, Austin said. She took him to a veterinary clinic as a precaution.
Austin thanked the people who helped bring him home.
"There were fire rescue volunteers helping and it was really nice to have everyone's help because he's not a small dog, the water was pretty deep, and it was a tough situation," Austin said, per WPBN/WGTU.
Where can I learn more?
As the following stories show, Theo's rescuers aren't alone in going to great lengths to bring a dog to safety.
• In Illinois, a thermal drone located a husky stranded for days in a muddy marsh.
• Bystanders lowered a man upside down to rescue a dog trapped along Ancoats Canal.
• A Florida deputy rescued Zoey and Monkey after hearing the dogs barking below a seawall.
• In South Africa, sea-rescue crews retrieved a stranded dog swept 650 feet offshore.
• In Virginia, crews coaxed a dog from a culvert.
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