Firefighters are used to rescuing people. People can yell for help. People can understand when someone says, “Hold on, we’re coming.”
A dog can’t do any of that. He can only wait.
And on Wednesday afternoon in Elyria, Ohio, one dog was waiting in a very dangerous place.
A Dog on a Log at the Top of the Falls
The Elyria Fire Department got the call shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Szabo told WOIO in Cleveland.
A dog was stuck on a log in the Black River.
Not just anywhere in the river, either. He was just upstream of a low-head dam.
Low-head dams look harmless from the bank. But the water rolling over them can be extremely dangerous for anyone who gets too close.
And this dog was sitting right at the edge.
“He seemed calm and like, okay, probably tired. But he wasn’t moving. He was trapped at the top of the falls on a log,” Szabo said.
Photos shared by Elyria Firefighters Local 474 on Facebook showed a black dog perched on the log as crews worked to reach him, WHIO reported.
“The Dog Didn’t Know Anything”
Szabo explained why a rescue like this is different from rescuing a person.
“A person is in distress, we can communicate with them, tell them we’re coming, the dog didn’t know anything, he was just waiting for us,” he said.
That’s the hard part. You can’t tell a frightened dog to stay still.
One wrong jump and he could have gone straight into the current.
Because of where the dog was and how risky the water was, the department called in the Elyria Fire Department Dive Team.
Crews also set up a tower ladder with a hoist system, just in case, according to WOIO.
Everybody was ready for the worst. They were hoping for the best.
On the bank, people could only watch. The dog sat on his log. The water kept moving underneath him.
And the divers got ready to go in after a dog who had no idea they were there to help.
A Life Ring and a Lieutenant’s Shoulder
Then the divers went into the water.
What happened next was simple, careful and kind of beautiful.
“We ended up putting a life ring on him. And the lieutenant kind of tucked him under his shoulder. And we kind of floated him to the shore,” Szabo said.
Picture that. A firefighter in the river, a dog tucked against his shoulder, both of them drifting slowly toward the bank.
“And he came up and he was happy,” Szabo said.
No firefighters were hurt. By about 6:30 p.m., roughly an hour and a half after the call came in, the dog was safe on dry land.
No Tag, No Owner, and a New Name
There was just one problem. Nobody knew who he was.
The dog had a collar but no tag, firefighters said. And no owner was anywhere in sight.
So the crew gave him a name that fit perfectly. They called him River.
The Chronicle-Telegram described River as a black Lab mix.
And it sounds like at least one firefighter fell for him on the spot.
“I told the fire chief, I said, we’re keeping him. I don’t know who he is, but I want him,” Szabo said.
Waiting for His Family
River is now at the Lorain County Dog Kennel.
Staff there say he is a happy, well-adjusted dog, around 2 years old, WOIO reported.
The kennel is asking River’s owner to come forward and claim him by Tuesday.
If no one does, he will be available for adoption on Tuesday.
Szabo, for his part, is rooting for a reunion, even though he clearly has a soft spot for the dog.
“I do hope he finds his owners,” he said.
Nobody has said how River ended up in the water. Or how long he sat on that log before someone spotted him.
Somewhere, maybe, a family is looking for a black dog who wandered too close to the river.
And if they don’t come, it sounds like there’s at least one firefighter who would be happy to give River a home.
What You Can Do
If your dog ever goes missing, call your local shelters and county kennel right away. Don’t wait.
A tag with your phone number on your dog’s collar can turn a long wait into a quick phone call.
A microchip helps too, as long as the contact information is kept up to date.
And if you ever see an animal stuck near moving water, don’t go in after it yourself. Call 911 and let trained crews handle it.
River was lucky. The right people came, with the right gear, at the right time.
Now he just needs someone to take him home.
Would you adopt River if his family doesn’t come? Tell us in the comments.
