Fishermen Spot Stranded Husky in Detroit River, Sparking 4-Hour Rescue Mission

Two anglers discovered a 2-year-old Siberian Husky stuck inside a drainage tunnel near the Gordie Howe Bridge on the Detroit River over the weekend. What began Sunday morning turned into a four-hour operation on Monday. Michigan Humane, Detroit Fire, Detroit Animal Care and Control, and The Karens' nonprofit group all responded.

Walter Cross and his nephew Cedric Humphreys had been angling for walleye when they saw the animal around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Both men fish with the Metro Detroit Walleye Stalkers. The dog's white coat stood out against the black drainage tube.

"Marlon is driving, and Cedric said, 'What's that?' He actually spotted the dog," Cross said, according to FOX 2.

The animal appeared frightened as their boat drew near, Humphreys said. "The closer it seemed we got, the more scared it got and started to run back toward the drainage tube," Humphreys said per FOX 2.

Cross and Humphreys tried reaching the husky. They couldn't. Pillars and an underwater seawall blocked them. Cross called his wife, who then alerted The Karens, a nonprofit that assists pet owners throughout Detroit.

Chantal Rzewnicki co-founded The Karens. She showed up, but fencing prevented her from accessing the culvert. She contacted Michigan Humane. A team arrived Monday morning.

Workers donned wetsuits and spent four hours extracting the animal from frigid water. Detroit Fire positioned a ladder and attempted to coax the husky out with food before hoisting the animal over the wall.

The husky had hypothermia. He'd been exposed to cold for at least 24 hours. Cross's wife named him Gordie after the bridge where rescuers found him.

No microchip was detected. The animal will stay in a stray hold for seven days before adoption becomes possible. Cross wants to adopt Gordie if no owner appears.