A 6-month-old, 70-pound lab died Friday night after falling through ice in Falls Township, the fire marshal confirmed.
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Firefighters were called around 11 p.m. to Warwick Road in the Fairless Hills section of the township for the report of a homeowner looking for the dog that fell through the ice on his pool.
Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito said crews from the Fairless Hills Fire Company broke through the ice and searched for the lab. They were hopeful the dog would be found alive, but hope quickly waned.
Once it was clear it was a recovery mission, Levittown Fire Company No. 1 responded with a heavy-duty pump and began draining the large backyard pool, the fire marshal said.
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Crews used hooks and chains to search for the body of the dog in the remaining water, Dippolito said.
Around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, the dog’s body was located and removed from the pool, Dippolito said.
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Emergency crews had a veterinarian on standby and were ready to race the dog for care if it was found alive in the icy water, Dippolito said.
The lab was on the ice with a smaller dog when it went under. With the ice being 6 to 8 inches thick, it appeared the lab entered the pool in an area where the ice was already broken in one corner, the fire marshal explained.
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