Big Lake dog rescue attempt leaves more questions than answers

BIG LAKE -- A dog is reportedly still at large, and responders are wondering if a person may be missing after a Big Lake resident called in a seemingly innocent report of a stray dog.

Animal Care and Regulation, Saturday morning at about 9:30 a.m., received a call that a dog was laying down on the ice on Big Lake near Burkeshore Marina. When Animal Care and Regulation officer Mark Thomas responded, he said he initially thought the animal's leash was frozen to the ice. Since the dog was laying near a hot spot on the partially frozen lake, Mat-Su Dive Rescue was called in to try to bring the dog to shore.

Dive Rescue Deputy Chief Ron Durheim, who responded with the Big Lake Rescue team, said the team doesn't respond to every call of an animal on the ice, but the prominent location of this call made it more of a potential danger -- to people who may walk out on the ice to bring the animal to safety.

As soon as the call went out over the scanner, Thomas said, Big Lake residents filtered into the Burkeshore parking lot. Meanwhile, the dog stood and walked around the hole in the ice near where it had been laying, activity enough to show Thomas the dog was neither affixed to the ice nor injured.

"At that point in time, we were wondering if it had been traveling with another dog," Thomas said, and said he thought the other dog may have gone through the ice. Residents who gathered began mentioning stray dogs they had seen in the area, and Thomas went out to look for a dog that matched the description. They found a female golden Lab who was in heat running loose and brought it back to the ice to see if they could coax the other dog off the ice. Thomas said the icebound dog took no notice of the newcomer.

The dive team arrived on scene, Thomas said, and readied for response. One team member was sent out to try to catch the animal, but when the responder moved toward the dog, it backed away.

"We knew the dog could walk off at any point in time," Thomas said, pointing out that the ice was clear of people in several other directions.

The dive rescue team set up two lines reaching out toward the dog and the hole in the ice it was staying near, thinking it was likely trying to stay close to its owner.

"It was really kind of peculiar," Durheim said.

The team checked the area and another hot spot the dog would occasionally run to, to no avail.

"I called [Alaska State] Troopers to see if they had anybody missing," Durheim said, but troopers said they had no listings of missing persons.

Durheim said the dog was still on the ice Monday, so the team went back out, with the help of an airboat from Alaska Airboats.

"We … went back out right where the dog was and searched it, stuck a camera under the ice to see if we could find anything," Durheim said. Nothing was found. "It was either another animal or a person," Durheim said of the dog's steadfastness to the location.

No unoccupied vehicles were found in the parking lot of the Burkeshore Marina when Thomas responded to the incident. Although several area residents looked at the dog through binoculars, trying to determine ownership, no one was able to decide who the dog's owner may be. The animal, still presumably in the Big Lake area, was guessed to be a springer spaniel-Labrador mix with a brown, black and gold coat, floppy ears and a long tail. No collar was seen on the dog.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Alaska State Troopers.

In the meantime, Durheim said, his team is gearing up for what may be a busy season. With the late onset of winter, he said, people are anxious to get their snow and ice recreation in, which may mean people are on the ice while it's still thin.

The ice on Big Lake, Durheim said, was only about an inch thick in many of the locations the team was at Saturday and Monday. In some places, it was even less. Although Durheim said no ice is safe ice, as it can be thick enough to support weight in one spot but thin in another, there are a few guidelines:

Three to four inches are needed to support people walking.

Five inches are needed to support a snowmachine.

Eight to 12 inches are needed to support a car.

12-15 inches are needed to support a pickup or heavier vehicle.

Durheim suggested drilling a hole with a cordless drill before venturing out, and said skaters should skate with a life vest on, in case they skate over a thin spot and go through.

If someone sees a person or animal go through the ice, Durheim suggested taking specific note of the area to help rescuers find their target area. By making a mark where you're standing and finding a landmark in line with the area, Durheim said, rescuers will be better able to search.