INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — On Friday, Independence resident Morgan Lindsey went into a state of panic after his two dogs escaped his backyard.
“I was scared for her,” he told KSHB 41. “I was out searching for three hours.”
Lindsey and his neighbors searched for his two dogs, Queso and Trouble, into the early morning hours.
Will Shaw/KSHB
“These dogs are the neighborhood pet I suppose,” shared a neighbor Bill Miller. “People that have animals understand. These two dogs that these kids got are part of the family. They just love those dogs.”
Miller and Lindsey have built a relationship as friendly neighbors. When Bill found out his neighbor's dogs were missing, with no questions asked, he did whatever he could to help.
“They were just in panic mode,” he said. “We had neighbors up everywhere. People were worried to death about them.”
Will Shaw/KSHB
As dog owner, Morgan Lindsey suspects, his two dogs escaped his back gate and darted for the field behind his home. When the two became cold, he believes they began to run home.
“I would imagine Trouble darted across the pond and Queso followed,” Lindsey explained.
He says both dogs fell though the “slushy” ice adorning the top of the lake. Trouble, was able to escape the ice and Queso, found herself stuck with her feet and head above water.
Will Shaw/KSHB
“The pond must have been deep enough for Queso to touch the bottom,” Miller said.
In a panic, Lindsey called the 9-1-1, telling KSHB 41 if they weren't coming, he was going in after him. Lindsey says, dispatch advised against entering the frozen pond. Police arrived and fire personnel soon followed.
“When that fireman, walked that dog out of that pond, he [Morgan] picked that thing up in his arms and carried it to the car, if that tells you anything,” Miller recalled about the rescue. “It was amazing. The Independence Fire Department is the real hero in this thing.”
While Miller is right, first responders selflessly put themselves in harm's way each time they put on the uniform. Through their shared gratitude for what those firefighters did that morning, it taught them both something about community.
“Bill was right next to the fire department the entire time. My brother said that Bill was everywhere!” Lindsey said with a smile, adding,”Bill is the best neighbor here.”
Will Shaw/KSHB
If there is one thing a dog teaches us, is that kindness and compassion for others is a neighbor's greatest gift.
“I call it neighbors helping neighbors. That's what we do here. We look out for each other,” Miller said. “I just love ‘em, they’re great neighbors and their dogs are part of the family.”
Will Shaw/KSHB
The Independence Fire Department successfully completed another rescue of a Basset Hound, posting images on Sunday:
