After seeing a Facebook post of a dog stuck in a Lake Wister dam, members of the Wister Fire Department sprang into action and led a rescue.
WISTER, Okla. – A Facebook post caught the attention of many people in LeFlore County with a dog stuck in a Lake Wister dam.
On Sunday, April 17, a white dog was filmed stuck near water rushing into the outlet of Wister Lake Dam. The dog stood on flat concrete ground but was stuck with nowhere to go as water rushed nearby.
Madison Renee says she saw the message and knew she wanted to help. Renee said she loaded up her family and set off towards the dam and when she arrived many more saw the post and started to gather. Everyone wanted to help but the dog was in a dangerous part of the dam.
“When we got there, it looked like there was no way to reach her. Many of us wondered how she even got stuck there? Either she should have swum upstream , or she would have been knocked down, there would have been no other way to get to where she was,” Renee said. “We all just stood there and watched her try to adjust to the running hoping it wouldn’t be swept away. That’s when this truck with several people on board arrived with the boat.”
Aaron Capell, a volunteer firefighter with the Wister Fire Department, saw the message online and said text messages had been sent to members of the department to rally anyone they could to help.
Department members Aaron Capell, Brooks and Ryan Turnipseed, Cyle Cullers, John Henson, Joey Roberts, Daniel Kimble and Capell’s best friend Bryce Tolleson were among those who showed up to save the dog.
Renee took video as the members attached a rope to Capell’s boat and helped her push her towards the dog.
Capell said they had to notify the corps to let them know they had to close the dam during the rescue, so it would help keep the water at bay.
Capell said the dog was scared when he reached her.
“Scared, nervous. I talked to her and eventually she let me pet her,” he said.
The dog was put in the boat and brought ashore. Members said the dog appeared unharmed, but what happened to him was tragic.
Capell agreed that the dog was probably unwanted and thrown into the water. He also said there would have been no other way for her to get to where she was found.
Another rescuer, Mike Young, took the white dog to the Poteau Valley Humane Society where she can be adopted.
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