The Green Lake Fire Department is proud to show off their new rescue boat!
“It’s a 21-foot air pontoon rescue boat, purchased from Michigan Rescue Concepts. “It’s got a 60 horse outboard motor and gets up to about 40 m.p.h. for a quick response,” explained Green Lake Fire Chief David Cutway.
Because of some township fire restructuring, these first responders were without a water apparatus when the call came in last February for a dog through the ice.
“I would let my dog out to run. She never wandered far. I had her on an electronic tether that would alert me where she was. She’d go to the house, to the north, then the house. to the south and not venture further than that,” said Jim Pidgeon, the dog’s owner.
We’ve all been there: the dog knows the area and is obedient. Jim says she never chased squirrels or rabbits and the ice was a place she never went. That is, until Jim believes some river otters where popping through the ice and that got Lizzie thinking there was another dog.
“Seeing another dog, however, she would go and make friends. My guess is the otter came up out of the ice and she went to make friends and went too far,” explained Jim.
Lizzie was a recue pooch. She’s 13 years old she had been part of Jim’s family for eight years.
After the rescue attempt, Jim went to the Green Lake Fire House to say thanks. He made a donation to the township to help buy a rescue boat for next time. The department decided that new 21-foot air pontoon boat should have a name, and The Miss Lizzie just seemed right.
What did Jim think of that?
“A good end to a bad story, that’s it,” said Jim.
The Miss Lizzie will be serving and protecting, and that is definitely good news.
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