Christmas river rescue saves dog

A black Labrador was saved from an icy death on Christmas Day, thanks to a well-equipped Creston Fire Department.

And later in the afternoon, Flathead County Animal Control officer Paul Charbonneau played both sleuth and Santa, tracking down the dog's owners and reuniting the family with their pet.

"It was one of those calls that makes your year," volunteer firefighter John Klippel said about the successful rescue.

Creston firefighters were called out just before 1 p.m. Monday after a resident realized the dog apparently had fallen through the ice on the Flathead River near Riverside Road.

Fourteen firefighters arrived at the scene just a few minutes after the 911 call, equipped with a state-of-the-art Rescue Alive Sled, a cold-water rescue device designed for such ice rescues, according to John Klippel, a Creston volunteer firefighter who helped with the rescue.

The volunteer department bought two ice-rescue units a year ago and several years prior to that had purchased cold-water rescue suits and other related equipment.

"It is the addition of the rescue sleds that give the ability to effect a rescue much faster and much safer than with suits alone or trying to use a boat not designed for ice or cold-water rescue," Klippel said.

The special sled made the rescue much safer and quicker, he said.

Firefighter Zack Bradley deployed the sled while backup responder Chris Mahugh was on the shore manning the ropes. The black Lab was back on shore within five minutes - roughly 20 minutes after the initial call for assistance.

To fight the effects of hypothermia, the ice-cold dog was wrapped in a blanket in the back seat of a warm fire engine and fed granola bars to bring up its glucose level.

Animal Control officer Paul Charbonneau arrived to help locate the dog's owner.

The dog had no tags or identification, but a bystander said he thought the dog lived nearby, somewhere south of the rescue site, Klippel said.

"I consider Paul to be a real hero," he said. "He took the dog and the dog's traveling buddy, another black Lab or similar, to the area thought to be where the dog lived and found the black Labs' owners.

"The black Labs were safely returned home to their family and all lived happily ever after. At least a family was reunited for a much happier Christmas than what might have otherwise been."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com