Firefighters in Andover rescued a dog that fell through the ice at a pond off Holt Road on Friday morning, officials said.

Responders from the Andover Fire Department arrived at the scene after receiving a report of an animal in the frozen water. Crews donned cold-water/ice rescue suits and launched a small water craft to reach the animal, then pulled it from the pond and handed it over to Andover Animal Control, according to local accounts.

Photographs published by Boston 25 News show firefighters in protective suits entering the water during the operation, illustrating the hands-on effort required to reach the animal on the broken ice. The images captured both the use of a water craft and personnel standing on the edge of the ice as they worked to retrieve the dog.

The operation followed a clear sequence: units arrived on scene, personnel suited up in specialized cold-water rescue gear, a craft was deployed to traverse open water sections, firefighters entered the water where necessary and removed the animal, and the dog was then transferred to animal-control custody for immediate follow-up. That coordination between the fire department and animal-control officers concluded the on-scene rescue.

After the extraction, Andover Animal Control transported the dog to an area animal hospital for veterinary evaluation, officials said. At the time of the transfer, responders did not release additional details about the dog’s condition; hospital staff were evaluating the animal following the rescue.

Fire department officials noted the operation relied on cold-water rescue techniques and equipment that are not part of routine firefighting gear. Local fire departments typically prepare for winter rescues by training in ice and cold-water rescue techniques and maintaining specialized equipment such as ice rescue suits, ropes, flotation devices, reaching tools and small water craft. Those resources and training were central to Friday’s response.

The incident underscores the dangers animals face on frozen bodies of water. Dogs that fall through unsafe ice can suffer hypothermia, organ damage or drowning; ice also can cut skin and cause frostbite or other injuries when animals slip or try to climb back onto the ice. Those risks are well documented by animal-welfare and emergency-response organizations.

Pet owners and local authorities often emphasize preventive measures in cold months. Small or short-haired breeds are particularly vulnerable to cold, and measures such as bundling dogs in coats or protecting paws with booties or balms are common recommendations from veterinarians and animal-control officials, especially during prolonged exposure to ice and salt. Fire and animal-control agencies routinely coordinate public messaging about winter hazards to reduce incidents that require rescue.

Friday’s rescue drew a rapid, coordinated response from Andover emergency teams: firefighters provided the technical rescue capability on the ice and in the water, and animal-control staff managed the transfer and transport to veterinary care. The Andover Fire Department confirmed the unit carried out the rescue and that Andover Animal Control arranged transport to the hospital.

Photographs of the scene and the brief official accounts provided by local outlets offer a straightforward record of the incident: a dog fell through ice at the pond off Holt Road; trained personnel wearing ice-rescue suits entered the water and used a water craft to reach and recover the animal; and the dog was turned over to animal-control and taken for medical evaluation.

Officials did not provide further updates on the dog’s condition beyond the transfer to veterinary staff. The response highlighted the specialized training and equipment municipal emergency services maintain for cold-weather rescues, and the coordinated roles fire and animal-control units play when animals are in distress on ice. How do local fire departments typically prepare for animal rescue operations during winter months?

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.