PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD (WJLA/CNN) – A firefighter in Maryland is seeking to adopt a golden retriever he rescued from an icy culvert Friday.
Firefighter Jesse McCullough climbed into the ditch to rescue the dog, who was covered in ice and had been stuck for hours.
"It was probably about a 30-degree pitch, and it was just icy concrete so you’re not going to be able to climb out easily,” McCullough said.
McCullough says the dog was shaking and tired when he picked up the frozen animal and carried him to safety.
"I basically had him resting on my knee and then coming up the beams of the ladder, just taking a rung stepping up. Your legs can lift a lot more than your arms ever can,” McCullough said.
The firefighters put the dog in the back of the fire truck and cranked up the heat. When they got back to the station, they laid out a bed and some food and water.
The dog, whom the firefighters named “River,” didn’t have a collar or a working microchip.
If the golden retriever’s owner doesn’t contact the station, McCullough says he’s considering adopting the dog he saved.
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