Firefighters rescue dog from freezing Lake Superior waters, 8-foot waves: Watch

As 8-foot waves crashed around him, the team went to work.

Video captured this month shows firefighters in Minnesota rescue a dog who fell into freezing Lake Superior waters that was nearly overcome by 8-foot waves.

The incident, which took place Thursday, Dec. 7, began when the dog slipped out of his leash and jumped into the water near the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Duluth Fire Department posted on Facebook.

According to the post, a 911 call summoned firefighters who brought an inflatable rescue boat to the scene.

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A small dog, 8-foot waves and a shipping channel

Arriving crews said they spoke with the dog's owner and saw the dog struggling to swim through 8-foot waves in the lake's shipping channel.

Footage provided by the department shows a firefighter wearing an "ice rescue suit" climb down a ladder into the water as high waves beat against him.

'Large waves and limited light'

Firefighters fought their way through the waves to find the dog but struggled to see the pup "due to large waves and limited light," the department posted.

The dog, dark in color, also kept slipping below the surface making him difficult to find.

Meanwhile firefighters on the pier with the dog’s owner used portable lights and shouted directions to the crew to help point them to the pup.

"The firefighters were finally able to get a hold of the dog by his collar but were not able to do much more against the heavy waves other than help keep him from going under again," the post reads. The dog was large, scared and was struggling which added to the difficulty."

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'Wagging his tail'

At one point, the crew and dog were swept in towards the bay and passed under a bridge, firefighters said, but crew members in the boat reached them and were eventually able to get the dog and the firefighters into the boat.

Once taken to land, the dog stopped shivering, was able to walk on his own and "was waging his tail as he jumped into his owner’s car," the department said.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.