Sheriff’s sergeant rescues dog from icy pond

ANCRAMDALE — Man’s best friend got a helping hand from Sgt. Heath Benansky, of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, who braved the icy waters of a pond on Pat’s Road in Ancramdale to rescue  a Doggie in Distress, a one-year old Austrian German shepherd named Andy who had strayed from home. 

According to department spokesman Lt. John Rivero, when the call for help came in on Friday, Jan. 15, Sheriff David P. Bartlett called Benansky, an off-duty member of the Water Rescue Squad and Copake area resident, who immediately headed to the scene. There he was assisted by Deputy Zachary Torchia and other members of the Dive Team equipped with cold water gear.

Rivero gave special credit to Benansky, a dog handler with “special place in his heart” for this familiar breed. 

Using a nearby paddle board he “was wet up to his waist and he had nothing on his feet… He didn’t care about getting his uniform wet or dirty. He went right in,” said Rivero.

Giving aid to both Andy and his hero involved a good deal of “scrambling” by the Dive Team, added Rivero, who said to dry and warm both man and beast it took a good many towels and blankets, and giving Benansky “a dry set of boots that he squeezed his feet into.”

The rescue was made possible thanks to the quick thinking of “two ladies that were in the area walking and heard the dog yelping — obvious signs of distress. When they located where it was coming from, they noticed that it had fallen through the ice — thin ice on the pond. The puppy wasn’t in an area where they could throw something to it or get to it easily,” added Rivero, so the two women thought fast and called the sheriff’s office.

“The most important thing was that the women were smart enough and had the where-with-all not to go in themselves, and leave it to trained professionals,” Rivero emphasized. “If a civilian had gone in there not trained, then we’re looking at two victims or multiple victims.”

The dog was taken to the Copake Animal Hospital, where he was checked and then returned to his owner, who had been located via an animal Lost and Found website. 

Rivero said as of Monday morning, Jan. 18, his postings about Andy’s adventure had received 39,000 views on social media — 20,000 as of the first night — and that Deputy Benansky “was stunned by that — the magnitude of engagement that it got.”

With winter bringing challenges for pets such as Andy, Millerton Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Carolyn Cannon, DVM, advised that drying and gradually warming an animal who is cold and wet should be done immediately while its temperature is checked. If that drops below 98 degrees, the pet should  be taken in a warm car to the nearest veterinary location. 

If the temperature is above 98 degrees, the animal should be taken inside, walked around and warmed gradually with drier-warmed towels or blankets, which can be tented with the air inside — and not the animal — warmed by a hair drier.

Rather than relying on Lost and Found postings, the veterinarian recommends that pet owners invest in a $70 locator microchip, which are more reliable and will allow for an immediate reunions with lost pets.