Fire Department

A passerby driving along John Nolen Drive called 911 after seeing what she believed to be a dog stranded on the ice about 100 yards from shore.

Engine Company 4 was dispatched with the Madison Fire Department’s Lake Rescue Team to the area near Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center to check it out. When rescuers arrived, they didn’t find a dog on the ice but an eagle.

Engine 4 advised the Lake Rescue Team they could suspend their emergency response as the eagle, which was not in distress, flew away.

Ladder 1 and Engine 4 searched the area one more time to ensure there wasn’t still a dog somewhere. None was found, and it is believed the eagle, at a passing glance, was mistaken for a dog.