Plucked from an icy river, a gorgeous spotted dog is saved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
It is a very happy new year for a black-and-white freezing pup that was plucked from the icy waters of the Detroit River.
The U.S. Coast Guard normally rescues people, but on New Year's Eve, a five-member crew patrolling the shoreline spotted a spotted canine in need of help.
"We don't usually launch for them," spokesman Ensign Adeeb Ahmad, told the Detroit Free Press. "But since we were out and about, we helped."
The team from Belle Isle Station sent 22-year-old Petty Officer Cole Harper onto thin ice near Grayhaven Island to wrangle the distraught dog from the frosty water.
Harper, tethered by a rope, lifted the pup from its chilly prison and held on as both were pulled to safety.
"The dog was welcoming and pretty grateful from what I heard, and pretty happy," Ahmad told the news outlet.
After his rescue, and several hugs and being dried off, the dog was given to the local animal shelter, where the pup will be held in the hope its human family comes forward.
If no one turns up, a crew member has said the dog will have a forever home.
"One of the crew members said he told his wife that if no one claims the dog, he'd like to adopt it," Ahmad said.
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