Missouri pastor braves icy pond to save pooch: ‘I wasn’t going to let that dog drown’

The ice beneath Jeff Mann’s feet cracked as he inched across his frozen pond toward a neighbor’s floundering dog who had fallen in.

The pastor, who served in the Marines, “wasn’t going to let that dog drown,” even if it meant risking his own safety to do it.

“My first thought was, ‘No way I’m going to get this dog out of here,’ ” Mann, from Marshfield, Mo., told The Star.

But as he watched the dog, named Fritz, whimper and shiver on Friday as he pawed at the ice from a hole in the middle of the pond, unable to gain purchase to claw its way out, he realized how close the dog was to drowning. He said he became “ready to bust the ice and get him.”

Mann’s wife, Selina, stood nearby and urged caution as she recorded the rescue attempt from the solid ground of the pond’s bank.

Mann continued inching toward the dog, making renewed attempts to toss him a rope after each halting step.

Finally, on about the sixth attempt, Mann landed the rope right across Fritz’s snout. Fritz, whom Mann said is a sheep dog weighing close to 100 pounds, bit into the rope, and Mann heaved the pooch from the icy waters.

Afterward, he and his wife dried him off and watched him wolf down “two big bowls of dog food.”

Video of the rescue, which Mann posted to his Facebook page, has garnered more than 100,000 views. People from across the area have hailed the pastor at the local CrossBridge Baptist Church as a hero.

“Amazing save, Jeff,” wrote Rod Morgan on Facebook. “You were a hero before this event, of course. The video just helped everyone to see your heroism at work.”

Added Sharon Mann: “There must have been angels holding the ice for you Jeffrey!!”

Mann said the adrenaline and fear kept him in the moment during the rescue, but afterward he reflected on his faith. He even referenced the incident in his sermon on Sunday to his congregation of about 200.

“God appointed us to have dominion over animals,” Mann said. “God gave us animals to enjoy, and we need to take care of them.”

The pond, filled with catfish and other fish that attract Mann’s fishing-pole-toting 6-year-old son, wasn’t completely frozen over because of an aeration system.

Mann was modest after saving the dog, crediting it with being smart enough to bite into the rope.

On Facebook, he wrote that he “didn’t do anything.”

But some writing on social media, such as Kathy Porter, praised Mann’s bravery.

“Not only does he save souls but he saves dogs as well,” she wrote.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Missouri pastor braves icy pond to save pooch: ‘I wasn’t going to let that dog drown’."