‘It was the chillest dog I’ve ever seen in my life’: Rhode Island firefighters rescue ice-trapped yellow lab

On New Year’s Day, a yellow Labrador taking a walk with its owner in Rhode Island required a firefighter rescue after straying onto a thin ice layer over a pond and falling through the middle.

The Misquamicut Fire Department reported that volunteer firefighters and other emergency personnel were sent out early Thursday morning for a water rescue. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters observed a dog named Phoenix struggling in the slushy, icy water, unable to reach the shore.

Firefighters from both the Misquamicut and Watch Hill fire departments put on ice rescue suits—designed to shield the body from freezing temperatures—to enter the pond and successfully save Phoenix. The National Weather Service noted that the temperature was 26 degrees Fahrenheit around 9 a.m. Thursday, with wind chill making it feel like 14 degrees.

“It was the coldest dog I’ve ever encountered in my life,” Steve Howard, deputy chief of the Misquamicut Fire Department, stated in a Friday phone interview. “The dog didn’t make a peep. He was really calm.”

Though the firefighters were checked for potential hypothermia, they didn’t need treatment. The fire departments referred to the incident as “a successful first call of 2026” in a Facebook post.

Phoenix was confirmed uninjured, though Howard followed up with the owner later that Thursday.

“He had a bit of extra food last night,” Howard mentioned. “And he took a short nap.”

The fire department noted that the incident was a reminder to consider all ice—especially over water—as potentially hazardous.

“No ice is ever safe. Our firefighters undergo extensive training for cold water and ice rescues, yet these scenarios remain highly perilous,” the fire department stated.