WATCH: Man, dog rescued from frozen pond
Man tried to rescue dog from pond when he fell through ice
Man tried to rescue dog from pond when he fell through ice
Man tried to rescue dog from pond when he fell through ice
A 58-year-old man and a dog were rescued Sunday afternoon from a frozen pond in Wisconsin.
"It's just something that you don't think about," Todd Fornes told sister station WISN on Monday.
Fornes says his two dogs, "Bo" and "Stormy" chased geese onto a private pond in Raymond, which is in Racine County, Wisconsin.
With temperatures in the low 40s, the ice broke.
"When they're chasing animals, you can't stop them," Fornes said.
Racine County sheriff's deputies said they received a report that a man had fallen through the ice about 50 feet offshore after trying to rescue a dog that had also fallen through the ice.
The man was too weak to climb out and was holding on to the edge of the ice, trying to keep the dog afloat. He was estimated to have been in the frigid water for over 10 minutes.
"So we kept breaking the ice and then the rescue personnel got here and threw me a rope, which gave me enough stability so I could pull push him (Bo) out, but they kept saying to let the dog go and that wasn't going to happen," Fornes said.
Deputies and a Wisconsin state trooper arrived at the scene within minutes and deployed a life safety throw rope.
The man was barely able to grasp the rope as his strength was fading. He was pulled through the ice and to shore along with the dog, the sheriff's office said.
The man was taken to a local hospital for evaluation of hypothermia and lacerations.
"I was freezing, I had no energy left, they almost carried me to the ambulance, they were nice and put heating pads on me," Fornes said.
Fornes told and showed WISN the many cuts and scrapes on his arms from being pulled out of the ice.
The dog, whose name is "Bo," was helped out of the water and to a warm vehicle. After warming up, Bo appeared to be OK as he was licking deputies and wanting their attention.
One dog was able to climb out before deputies arrived. The man and both dogs are expected to make a full recovery, the sheriff's office said.
Fornes says this should serve as a reminder about the dangers of thin ice this time of year in Wisconsin.
"At this point in time you gotta be afraid of it and for your dogs," Fornes said.
Watch: Video of the rescue from the Racine County Sheriff's Office