A dog that bolted from a home in Sleepy Hollow and had to be rescued from the Fox River by West Dundee firefighter/paramedic is expected to make a full recovery after being treated for hypothermia, dehydration and paw abrasions.
“I’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to the homeowner who (saw the dog go into the water and) called it in, the West Dundee Police Department, fire department and the amazing vet staff who made sure Hensley returned home to us,” Samantha Parrillo, of Long Grove, said.
Hensley, an 18-month-old mini Australian shepherd, was staying with Parrillo’s in-laws for the weekend, Parrilo said. While they were unloading groceries, the dog managed to get outside and then fled when a delivery truck scared her, she said.
“Hensley is very sweet but needs a lot of time to warm up. She is social once she knows people and animals,” Parrillo said.
The in-laws contacted neighbors to help look for the dog and then contacted police. Meanwhile, someone spotted the dog in the river and called 911 about 4:30 p.m., West Dundee Deputy Police Chief Dan Haines said.
Four police officers, five West Dundee firefighter/paramedics and a Carpentersville battalion chief responded to the call, Haines said.
“Firefighter/paramedic Jonathan Flynn donned a wetsuit and went into the river to retrieve the dog. He waded about 15 feet away from the shore to do this,” he said.
The rescue took well less than a half hour, West Dundee Fire Chief Michael Spiro said, and the dog was taken to Dundee Animal Hospital. Because Hensley’s dog tag had the family’s information on it, Parrillo was contacted.
Hensley was kept overnight and came home Monday.
“We are very grateful to the caller who reported seeing the dog in distress,” Haines said. “We are all animal lovers here at the police and fire departments so we are glad to be in a position to help and relieved that this story had a happy ending.”
The distance between the house in Sleepy Hollow and where the dog was rescued in West Dundee is about two miles, Parrillo said. How Hensley was not struck by a car given the traffic on routes 72 and 31 is a miracle, she said.
“After an experience like this, we are going to get Hensley in some classes to train and to better socialize her,” Parrillo said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
