What happened one Saturday evening on Lake Jungfernsee in Potsdam, Germany, is every dog owner's worst nightmare. A brief moment of inattention, a slightly loose lead, and it was the start of a race against time that no one could win.
Even the fire brigade's experienced rescuers were faced with a harsh reality that evening, as nature follows its own rules.
A race against time
That Saturday, Lake Jungfernsee was covered in a layer of ice, giving a false sense of security. But that's precisely where the danger lay. When the dog suddenly escaped from its owner, it didn't run towards the woods, but straight onto the frozen surface.
From the shore, its owner had to watch the inevitable happen. The dog reached the shipping channel, where the ice was far too thin to hold its weight. And then the worst happened: the animal fell through. It found itself, in the words of the incident report, in “acute distress”.
The alarm was raised immediately. A major response was launched: the professional firefighters of Potsdam, the volunteer firefighters of Sacrow, and water rescue teams rushed to the lake and began the operation at once. But it quickly became clear that saving the dog was impossible without seriously endangering human lives.
A heartbreaking decision
What followed was undoubtedly the most difficult moment for the rescuers: the decision to call off the search. The firefighters faced a cruel choice. On one hand, there was the animal struggling in the icy water; on the other, the lives of their own team.
After a “careful assessment of the chances of success and the risks to the response teams”, the terrible decision was made to call off the search. The risk to the divers and rescuers was too great, and the chances of saving the dog were too slim. The dog “could unfortunately not be saved”. He died in the ice.
Just a few hours later, another incident confirmed that the still-too-thin ice is a game of Russian roulette. On Sunday, on Lake Heiliger See, also in Potsdam, another dog fell through the ice. This time, however, the story had a happy ending: the animal survived.
The fire service is therefore issuing a clear warning: the ice on bodies of water is currently a death trap. Venturing onto it, or not keeping your dog on a lead, means risking a lovely winter walk ending in tragedy.
