The Columbia Fire Department today rescued a 9-year-old golden retriever that fell through ice in an old quarry just southeast of South Glenwood Avenue.

Kathy Brown, 53, of 1107 Lakeshore Drive, was taking her two retrievers for their daily walk around the quarry lake when she noticed one of them was no longer following her. Brown returned to the quarry and discovered that Millie had fallen through in the middle of the lake.

Brown walked to a neighboring home owned by Chips Godfrey and his wife, Cindy Kerr, and asked them to call the fire department. She then returned to the quarry pit and tried to rescue the animal.

Brown stayed near the edge of the pit as she worked toward the dog. But she, too, fell through the ice, said Battalion Chief Steve Sapp of the Columbia Fire Department. "She was about waist deep," he said. "The water in that quarry pit is very deep."

Brown was able to raise herself onto a nearby rock ledge, where she waited for rescuers. Columbia fire crews arrived at the scene at 7:52 a.m. and rescued Brown and Millie within 20 minutes.

"We had a dual attack here because there were two victims," Sapp said. "Our primary concern, of course, was for the human, so we went after Ms. Brown first."

At the same time, he said, fire crews suited in special water-rescue gear used an inflatable flat-bottom raft to get Brown and her dog to safety.

Millie was "starting to lose her fight" when crews reached her, Sapp said. "From our firefighters’ account, she was just about gone. She had exhausted herself. We were fortunate to get to her."

Paramedics from University Hospital warmed Brown and Millie with blankets in the back of an ambulance while waiting for Rocheport veterinarian Mary Lamar to arrive and evaluate the dog. Both were doing fine when crews left, Sapp said.

This is the second year firefighters have rescued a dog from the quarry. Last year, Godfrey said his Jack Russell terrier slid down ice covering the rock embankment and landed in the pit.

Residents are asked to call the fire department instead of trying to rescue animals themselves, Sapp said. "People ask why we use all these resources to rescue a dog, but a lot of times owners or concerned citizens will attempt to rescue them on their own if we don’t," he said.

Sapp also suggests dog owners keep their animals on leashes when walking near ice-covered waters.

"The ice is melting and thinning out, so it’s very easy to break through," he said.

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