Wellesley

Man describes fall through ice trying to save his dog, caught-on-video rescue

“There’s nothing more horrific than not being able to get to your dog. You love them as if they were family,” Wellesley's Ed Berger said

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A man rescued, along with his dog, from Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts, shared his perspective of the harrowing minutes they spent in the icy water.

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Ed Berger and his dog Tommy are safe after falling through the ice one after the other in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Sunday.

First responders pulled the pair from the frozen waters this weekend before they suffered any serious injuries in a rescue that was caught on video.

The Wellesley man, Tommy and his other dog, Oscar, were walking near Lake Waban when Tommy ended up in the frozen water.

“We turned the corner and there was a dock that made its way out into the ice and the dog saw some birds and went for it,” Berger said Tuesday.

Trained as an EMT, Berger says he asked someone to call 911 before venturing onto the ice with a boat he located in hopes of saving his furry companion.

“There’s nothing more horrific than not being able to get to your dog. You love them as if they were family,” Berger said.

Ed Berger and his dog Tommy after their rescue on Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
NBC10 Boston
Ed Berger and his dog Tommy after their rescue on Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

He fell in, too, and estimates he ended up in the water for 10 or 15 minutes, while Tommy was in the lake for 25-30 minutes.

Captured on drone video, first responders arrived and pulled Berger out of the drink first, followed by his 8-year-old cocker spaniel.

”The dog was a much more difficult recovery than the person in the water. He didn’t make it very far,” said Deputy Chief Michael Giagante of the Wellesley Fire Department. ”The big message in this case is, if your dog goes in the water, call 911 and wait for help to come.

Although Ed Berger says he’d do it again, he is very grateful for what first responders from Wellesley and Wellesley College did for him and his dog.

“You can see from the video that they’re just absolutely so well trained. It was just like two guys I was hanging out with. They do this thing and they executed it flawlessly.”

Watch the full rescue video here:

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