Agents Rescue Dog from Icy Pond

Blaine, Wash. - On Monday, Border Patrol agents rescued a dog that had fallen through the ice on a pond, after the dog was spooked by nearby hunter’s gunfire.

A Border Patrol agent from the Blaine Sector, Blaine Station, was flagged down by a passerby on the Canadian side of the border and notified that a dog had just fallen through the ice of a partially frozen beaver pond. The beaver pond is located on the United States side of the International Boundary.

Border Patrol agents responded to the property and found a small six foot aluminum rowboat complete with plastic oars near the pond. One of the agents attempted to make contact with the owner of the house, but no one answered. Agents then jumped into the boat and rowed towards the dog. One agent broke through the ice with the end of an oar in front of the boat while the other agent rowed towards the struggling dog. The ice was approximately one inch thick.

One agent wrapped a rope around the dog and held the dog by the collar as the other agent rowed back towards the shore. The dog is a Great Pyrenees, and weighs 150 pounds. The agents were able to get the dog to shore and reunite the dog with its owner, who had witnessed most of the rescue from the edge of the pond. The dog is doing fine and the dog’s owners were very appreciative of the agents’ efforts.

A witness in Canada videotaped the rescue and posted the video on YouTube (titled "Dog rescued after falling through ice at border")

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.