Video: Dog helps police rescue owner who fell through ice on Northern Michigan lake

A dog helped police rescue her owner after he fell through the ice into a frozen lake in Northern Michigan.

Body camera footage released by Michigan State Police shows a rescue operation unfold in East Bay Township, located near Traverse City. At around 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18, a 65-year-old man fell through the ice on Arbutus Lake, his lower body stuck in the frozen water.

MSP said bystanders saw the Traverse City man fall in and called 911. Police officers arrived, walked out onto the lake, but said they could not reach the man “due to the ice conditions.”

Instead, officers decided to deploy a rescue disc -- but they had some unexpected help. The man’s dog, Ruby, was standing by him out on the ice, and the officers saw an opportunity.

After asking the dog’s name, the officers called Ruby over and tied the rescue disc to her collar. The owner then called Ruby back to him, and was able to grab hold of the rescue disc.

Holding onto the disc, the man was instructed to kick his legs while the officers pulled him up and out of the water. Once the man had been pulled closer to shore, two officers got ahold of him and helped drag him back to safety.

Officials said the man was stuck in the water for about 16 minutes. EMS took him to the hospital, where he was treated and later released.

You can watch the rescue operation in MSP’s video below.