A teacher who rescued a caged puppy from drowning in a cold central Illinois lake over the weekend says the dog had been ‘clearly abused.’
Bryant Fritz, who teaches middle school science at Next Generation School in Champaign, was preparing to fish Saturday when he found Dory, a black and white female puppy, submerged in rising water and trapped inside of a dog crate in Kaufman Lake.
Fritz told The News-Gazette on Sunday that he waded into waist-high, freezing water in the Champaign lake before reaching the cage.
A female puppy is seen moments after she nearly drowned in a cold lake in Illinois on Saturday
Dory was trapped inside a cage that was submerged in Kaufman Lake in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday
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Bryant Fritz (left), who teaches middle school science at Next Generation School in Champaign, waded into the lake and pulled the dog to safety
‘It was about 3pm when I saw the dog in the lake,’ Fritz said.
‘Part of the crate was sticking out of the water. The puppy’s head was still above water, but the rest of her body was submerged.’
The teacher said there was no hesitation in deciding to wade into the lake.
‘It was a cool and wintry day,’ he said.
‘I took off a couple of layers of sweaters and immediately waded into the water to reach the crate.’
Fritz said he believes he waded a distance of between 15 and 20 yards into the lake before reaching the puppy.
‘It was pretty clear the dog had been in the cold water for several hours. I immediately pulled her out of the water and dragged the crate to the shore,’ he said.
He then realized the dog had other medical issues.
‘When I got her up to the shore, there was blood all over the place,’ Fritz said.
‘She was missing a bunch of fur on the back side, and the bottom of her paws were missing skin. She probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds; she was definitely a puppy. She was shaking so bad. Her eyes were shut. She was so miserable.’
Dory was rushed to a local vet, which administered antibiotics and pain medication
The dog has some fur missing from her backside, which suggests that the previous owner abused her
The vet says that Dory is making progress and has recovered from hypothermia
He took the dog to his truck, turned up the heat as high as he could and headed to the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital, where he had called ahead to staff to let them know he was coming.
On the way, he stopped at his house to wrap the puppy in a blanket ‘to get her as warm as possible.’
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine spokeswoman Chris Beuoy noted the puppy has been responding favorably to treatment for hypothermia.
The hospital’s staff also cleaned the wounds and put her on antibiotics and pain medicine.
‘We weren’t sure if the dog would need additional care for her wounds, but she received more treatment for her wounds on Sunday,’ Beuoy said.
After Champaign County Animal Control takes custody of the pooch, Fritz hopes that he will be allowed to adopt her and give her a loving home.
‘As I filled out the paperwork when I brought her to the hospital, I realized I wanted this dog to be a part of my life,’ the teacher said.