PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A Painesville dog and his owner have been reunited after the pup got stuck on a riverbank Tuesday morning. Thanks to a keen pair of eyes and a good Samaritan fisherman, the dog is back indoors warming up with his family.
Midnight the dog had found himself in a chilly predicament, stranded on the banks of the Grand River.
Painesville Police Department Lt. Toby Burgett was turning around in the Lake MetroParks Grand River Landing parking lot when he saw a black and white figure across the river on a bank. Burgett's first attempt to rescue him didn't work out.
"I drove around to that side of the bank and tried to reach the dog from the bank. You couldn't get to it with brush and trees down," Burgett told 3News.
He immediately called the Painesville City Fire Department to assist in the rescue of Midnight.
During the rescue attempt, a nearby fisherman noticed what was going on and volunteered his boat to help assist the effort. The fisherman, Burgett, and Fire Capt. Bob Mrosko rode across the river to save the dog.
Midnight was successfully taken out of the water, onto the boat and safely to the shore. Police add that the dog was shaking and tired, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.
“It was an old dog and very cold," Burgett added. "It had been out there for a while. It was shivering and very happy to get on the boat and make its way back to the other side of the river.”
Painesville police were able to reunite the dog, named Midnight, with its owner after running the dog tag number.
“Myself being a dog owner, it couldn't have been happier for me to reunite somebody with their lost dog," Mrosko said. "I could tell the lady was elated when she came. She was relieved to get her dog back. That warmed my heart.”
Midnight's owner said she and her son had been looking for him, but had no idea where he wandered to until she got the good news from officers that he was found and unharmed.
PHOTOS | Dog rescued from banks of Grand River in Painesville
More Headlines on WKYC.com:
- Election day in Ohio: Live updates as voters decide Issue 1 on abortion and Issue 2 on marijuana
- Election day means all eyes on Ohio as abortion and marijuana votes could set playbook for country, and more: 3News Daily
- Mayfield City Schools lift soft lockdown following 'Columbine' online threat; suspect in custody
- Keshaun Williams search: Reward for information on missing Cleveland teen increased to $22,500
- North Ridgeville Schools look to solve overcrowding with new building in Issue 16 ballot measure