Hingham Firefighters Kick Ice

For those of you who don’t live in Massachusetts and need a reminder not to move there, the video accompanying a news report about three Hingham firefighters who braved icy waters to rescue a dog will serve as a cold dash of New England winter reality in the face.

The firefighters responded to a call for help from a woman whose rascally dog, Ollie, ran out onto ice-covered Hingham Harbor in hot pursuit of a seal. The seal apparently escaped unharmed, but Ollie plunged through the ice and was trapped in the frigid water. Enter our heroes, who valiantly swam and crawled through the slushy muck to reach Ollie and then painstakingly dragged him back to shore. It was obviously exhausting work, and one of the firefighters was taken to the hospital afterward as a precaution. A tired but grateful Ollie was taken to a veterinary hospital where he was treated and released.

We’ve honored Ollie’s rescuers with a “Compassionate Firefighter Award,” and we also threw in some PETA mugs and vegan hot cocoa mix to help them survive the rest of Massachusetts’ merciless winter.

And let this be a cautionary tale for anyone who is tempted to allow a dog off lead anywhere near a frozen body of water. As The Boston Globe wisely points out, fuhgeddaboudit.

Written by Alisa Mullins