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Multiple crews rescue donkey from pond in Cranberry Township

First responders, homeowners recount how donkey was saved from frozen pond in Butler County
First responders, homeowners recount how donkey was saved from frozen pond in Butler County 02:55

CRANBERRY (KDKA) - The Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company and other crews rescued a donkey that fell in a pond on Friday.

The donkey's owners are sharing their story.

David and Angela Hohman treat their two donkeys, Jill and Lani, like their children.

"These are our girls as we call them," David said.

He and Angela spent four hours brushing Jill on Saturday. She became mud-caked when she fell through the ice in their backyard pond.

"My heart sunk because I thought she was dead," David said. 

pullingdonkeycrew.jpg
Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company

Most of Jill's body had become submerged. David stepped into knee-deep water in the pond, and that's when he realized Jill was still alive.

"It was like complete helplessness because she weighs so much. We're immediately thinking, 'What are we going to do, how are we going to do this,'" Angela said. 

She called 9-1-1 but fully expected them to tell her they don't help people with animals. It couldn't be further from the truth.

"The next thing I know, the whole cavalry showed up," Angela said.

That included Corey Mclaughlin, a lieutenant with the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company. 

"We train for a lot, right, for vehicle rescues, fires, false alarms, different kinds of scenarios. We don't really do a lot of training for animal rescue," Mclaughlin said. 

So, they called in help from first responders who specialize in water and animal rescues. 

He credits the teamwork for getting Jill out. 

Responding along with Cranberry was the New Sewickley Fire Department, Beaver County Fire Department, Butler County Team 300, and Cranberry Township EMS, he said. 

"The water rescue team went out, hooked up to the harness already on the animal, the rope system. We had seven water rescue people on the ice that pulled it up, [a] 600-pound donkey. [We] got it up flat. The donkey could not stand," Mclaughlin said. 

Vets found Jill's body temperature had dropped 12 degrees, David said. Jill also had abrasions and scars. 

"It was great to get her on shore and out of the water, but we weren't out of the woods yet," David said. 

Jill was shaking violently after she was pulled out. Crews wrapped her in blankets and brought her to a warm garage on the Hohman's property. A vet treated her there and the Hohman's stayed with her in the garage that night. 

"We knew she was coming around when we would start nodding off to get a little sleep and she put her nose on your or something," Angela said. 

David and Angela said they are relieved and blessed, both because Jill is okay, and because they have excellent first responders in their community who pull together.

"We just want [our donkeys] to be happy, that's all we ever want," Angela said. 

Jill is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery. 

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