Dog rescued after falling through ice in Hingham

It's stupid to have the dog let loose to begin with. People who have dogs should take better care of them and be considerate of Public Safety officials too.

i'm tired of irresponsible pet owners.

If it happened at Stodder's Neck I believe it's legal let your dog run off-lead there.

Granted the dog should have been leashed, however sometimes they get away from you. My Mother's dog (now mine) pulls, my Mother was small and weak, unable to handle the dog. On ice if she felt she was going down she would just let go of the leash. The dog has also gotten away from me a few times, some were when I was speaking to a neighbor, the dogs sitting there then...off she goes to play with the kids, or other dogs walking by leashed..

I thought World's End had a leash rule.

Always keep your dogs on a leash, regardless of how smart he/she is! I always see people with labs not leashing them. This isn't an L.L. Bean catalog people, it's real life.

Thank you, firemen, for rescuing the dog. Thank goodness everyone returned safely. But alas, i agree with you, Chief, let's be conservative when letting dogs off leashes out of consideration for what it takes in terms of rescue.

Nice job!. It's amazing that you guys would risk your life for someone's pet. I'll bet everyone's proud of you, especially the dog and his owner.

One thing though. If the Hingham Firefighters were REALLY tough, they'd hop in the water a la L Street Brownie style. It's kind of cheating when they get to don wet suits, survival gear and life jackets. What ever happened to challenge?

I think those Hingham Firemen are getting a little too sedentary.

I saw the news report this afternoon when I got home. The dog owner said that her dog broke away from her leash & ran after a seal in the ice/water! Get your facts before you judge people!

I thought that all dogs were supposed to be leashed? The dog's owner was acting irresponsibly by allowing the dog off the leash and almost losing their pet because of stupidity. If you are going to let your dog off a leash, the dog should be in a fenced-in yard and not put in harm's way. If a dog is out in public and not on a leash, the police should issue tickets.

the owners of the rescued animals should pay ahefty fine for their stupidity.
the newspapers are full of animal rescues by firefighters so these people have no excuse for not watching their pets.

I saved a dog eight years ago from a pond in Blackstone Yes the owners are to blame

If you were to listen to the news report you would see that the dog was leashed and the leash was being held when the dog took off. There is nothing an owner of a large dog can do when their dog suddenly pulls away from the owner. There is no one to blame for this accident.

I know the dog was on a leash. Just be happy for the positive outcome

Thanks to the brave rescuers who put their lives on the line everyday for us and our pets. I also feel the owners are responsible for their pets actions. Just as we teach our children discipline our pets can be taught. My Llewellin setter is a trained dog on and off leash. If I call her to come or heel, she knows she is to obey me immediately or there are consequences. Yes it did cost money to have her professionally trained, it took time and continues to require use of her training to keep her safe. But the joy of a well trained dog is so much better than the sorrow and tragedy of the death of a beloved pet and possibly the injury or death of a firefighter trying to serve above and beyond. Please invest in your pets education as you would you your children's.
A trained dog likely will not leave your side if he/she has been trained correctly.

Nice job by all three Firefighters in the survival suits and to the support they had on shore. Regardless if the dog broke away from the owner or was running free with the leash on it doesn't matter now as long as everyone is safe. Including the dog....My hat's off to the HFD for getting out to that part of World's End in the snow with their gear to rescue that dog in time before he was lost. Great Job....

That's why I own a pug...they can't swim.

Thanks to the firefighters. This does serve as a useful training exercise for an actual human rescue.

Job well done. Kudos to the Hingham Fire Department!!
In response to Joe, yes there is something an owner of a large dog can do. If the dog is prone to escapes, then a prong collar would be a very appropriate solution to ensure the dog is under complete control. The next time the dog gets loose, might not have such favorable results.

Leashe laws are for the safety and protection of both the pets, the pet's owner and all others around, including fire fighters, police, recue & emergency crews!
I hope this very irresponsible owner is invoiced by the Town of Hingham for this rescue.
I hope the owner said a BIG!! thank you to the men who saved the dog's life!

I never, ever let my very beloved dog off leash, not anywhere!

@laurie & @joe: Ditto.

To my brother firefighters in Hingham. Good job fellas! I'm a FF in IL, and a dog lover. Some of the fellas can't see risking our lives for a dog. But, you guys did a great job. To the person who left comment #8, you don't know what you are talking about. The guys had to put on their rescue gear to do this, or any other rescue. We don't do any good if we become victims ourselves.

You firefighters are awesome! That's fantastic what you did- good job !!!

Happy ending, Yay!!

Seriously folks, if these people's kids had run off and fallen trough the ice we all wouldn't be as outraged, and yet it would have been even more irresponsible! Apparently the dog was on leash and got loose. If the fireman don't want to risk their lives for a dog, they simply shouldn't do it-- rather than shaming people after the fact.

ok anybody has the address of the firestation of those dog rescue heroes? I want to send them a thank you note. I wish many more cities would go beyond their ordinary business to rescue our animal friends in danger.

if you have never owned a 2 year old lab....then you simply have no idea what you are talking about....the negativity towards the owner is ridiculous....even if the owner did everything right those dogs find trouble......if you own little fo fo dogs and carry them in a chanel bag or a bulldog that runs 5 steps and needs a nap then you are completely out of your league when it comes to a lab.....you can find ways to spin it all you want to blame the owner but these dogs are magicians

My father works at Worlds End and he has told this same woman time and time again that she has to keep this same dog on a leash. Maybe this time she actually had him on a leash, but I doubt it.

I know the dog owner lets her dog go off leash..in this case,it bolted, but W.End has a leash law, but some owners think the law does not apply to them. All were lucky in this case..the owner should pay for the time and resources spent on Friday. This will be a learning episode for all @ W.End. I only hope people heed it.

I know the dog owner lets her dog go off leash..in this case,it bolted, but W.End has a leash law, but some owners think the law does not apply to them. All were lucky in this case..the owner should pay for the time and resources spent on Friday. This will be a learning episode for all @ W.End. I only hope people heed it.

As a witness to the event I will say the fire fighters were amazing. I will also say that it is a good thing it was only a dog who was stuck out there and not a person. There were problems accessing the area due to ice on the trail, among other issues and I think it was a learning experience for all involved. I can say for a fact the dog was on a leash, a fact confirmed by the fireman on the evening news cast, and bolted after something on the ice. Everything worked out well and the Hingham rescue officials got valuable training. Again the fire officials were amazing I was struck by how grueling the task was and can see why people die trying it to save a pet. Never go on the ice after a pet!!

The Firehouse address is 339 Main Street Hingham, MA 02043
The Lt. in charge of the Rescue that day was Victor P. Bernan
They, my follow HFD firefighters did a GREAT JOB !!!