Deputies rescue dog from freezing water
Published: January 11, 2007
A grey-muzzled yellow lab owes its life to a caller complaining about a barking dog and two Lassen County sheriff’s deputies who waded into the freezing waters of the Susan River to rescue it.
By Shayla Ashmore
Staff Writer
sashmore@lassennews.com
About 9:45 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Linda Gibbons, of River Roost mobile home park, called the sheriff’s department to report a dog barking for more than an hour. She said she could hear it but couldn’t figure out where it was.
Deputy D. Watson and Sgt. Dave Martin responded and found the 10-year-old yellow lab/golden retriever cross named Cody in the Susan River. She was stuck in the freezing water near the mobile home park with only her head above water.
“The lab was shivering and was unable to climb either side of the river’s embankment,” according to Watson’s incident report. “The lab appeared to be very weak and was in shock.”
Martin said, “It had its front paws on the bank and was spent.”
“Sgt. Martin and I waded into river and pulled the dog to safety,” Watson reported. “The lab was unable to walk and we carried the dog to my patrol unit.”
Dispatch Supervisor Angela Lewis tried to call a vet and find the dog’s owner with no luck. Martin and Watson took Cody to dispatch where Lewis dried, fed and cared for her.
On Tuesday, Jan. 2, Gibbons called the Swap Shop Show on Susanville radio station KSUE to praise Watson and Martin for saving the dog. Cody’s owner, Darrel Millar, who lives just up Roop Street from the river, heard the call.
“The gal down here in the trailer park is the one that called it in to Swap Shop,” Millar said. “So, I called her and then I called the sheriff’s office and then I went up and talked to the dispatch lady.”
Millar said he noticed Cody was missing on New Year’s morning.
“The fireworks must have got her excited,” he said. “I had been working on the fence, so I had her chained up but she pulled the collar off and then went through the fence. She’s gun shy.”
Millar said he was impressed with the care the dispatcher gave his dog.
“That was pretty neat of them,” he said. “I guess being New Year’s, it’s kind of tough to locate the shelter or the vets. They said she was pretty limp.”
Millar’s daughters Kayla, 19, Karly, 17, made some cookies and took them to the department.
“Tell them we’re very thankful for everyone involved,” Millar said. “You know the lady that called it in, she was awful nice, helpful, too.”
As for Cody, “She seemed a little slow for awhile, but she’s doing good now,” he said.
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