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Pup Rescued from Frigid Lake Michigan

By Benjamin Woodard | January 2, 2013 6:46am | Updated on January 2, 2013 11:20am

ROGERS PARK — The gods smiled favorably upon Zeus the Siberian husky Tuesday night.

The 20-month-old pup braved a half-hour in icy Lake Michigan waters before being rescued by the Chicago Fire Department's Scuba Unit.

During the rescue, responders lost sight of Zeus, who appeared to have fallen through the ice.

“I was torn apart about it,” said Chris Roberts, 33, who had let his dog off the leash to run free on the beach.

But Zeus didn't stay on safe, solid ground. He took off onto perilous Lake Michigan ice.

“I was calling him, calling him, calling him, 'Zeus, where you at?'” said Roberts, who lives nearby in Rogers Park.

It was Zeus' call back, a faint whimper, that allowed the scuba unit to find the husky further north up the beach, struggling in water off the 75 feet of ice stretching from the lakefront.

"I wasn't expecting a happy ending," said one police officer on the scene.

Roberts spent some time in the ambulance warming up his canine companion in a blanket after the ordeal.

But Before Roberts and Zeus rushed off to a vet, police issued Roberts a ticket.

The police officer explained he had to issue Roberts the "petty ticket" for the amount of response that came out to the scene.

Six police units, five fire trucks, the scuba team, and police marine boats responded to the call for help, an officer said.