Man attempted to rescue dog

[Lee Borgersen]

Article updated: 2/3/2012 10:32 PM
Man rescued on Gages Lake IL

A man who attempted to rescue his dog from a semi-frozen Gages Lake had to be rescued himself by emergency crews on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The man was in his kayak on the lake, located east of Route 45 in unincorporated Lake County, as he tried to get his golden retriever who had walked onto the lake’s shelf ice, according to Battalion Chief Jim Weidman of the Grayslake Fire Protection District.


 “It sounds like he had gone out to coax his dog back in from the water. Paramedics said he tried for a while on his own from the shore,” Weidman said.

Weidman said the kayak began to take on water and got stuck, while neighbors of the lake tried to reach a rope to the man. A water rescue crew arrived at 3:37 p.m. and was able to rescue the man, who was about 75 feet off shore, and the dog, who was about 200 feet off shore.

The man was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for observation because of his exposure to the cold, Weidman said.