Dog rescued from Snake River

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Two dog lovers are glad their dog was rescued after falling through the ice on Saturday.

Joseph Pehrson sent us video of Dean Berggren rescuing his dog Max from the Snake River at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls.

Dean and Glenda Berggren were walking Max when he got loose and fell through the ice.

Dean directed his wife to call the fire department and then crawled out onto the ice to get Max.

"I could hear the ice kind of cracking and popping and Max was getting weak," he said. "And I reached out and got a hold of his collar and he kind of relaxed. And I said, 'Okay, Max, this is it.'"

It only took a few tense minutes before he and his dog were out of danger.

The Idaho Falls Fire Department cautions not to go out onto the ice for any reason.

"Animals are generally lighter than we are, to begin with." swift water rescue team member Brandon Rich said. "So if they go through the ice, you got to understand that you're also going to go through the ice maybe even sooner or quicker than they did.”

The Section of ice that held the pair Saturday afternoon is gone as of Monday morning.