Heartbreaking end after police pull drowning dog out of Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On just after 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to a call of a dog that was hit by a vehicle near the 3400 block of Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

Lobo, a large Siberian Husky, was accidentally let out of a hotel complex while the family was away. Witnesses tried to render aid at the scene but Lobo panicked, bit them and ran off.

SLTPD found the dog swimming in the lake, behind Lakeland Village. Officers followed the dog that was about 100 yards out in the freezing water and quickly devised a plan to rescue it as it approached the end of a boat dock. Officers were able to pull the dog onto the dock as it began to drown. Other people in the area helped the officers carry the injured dog to a patrol car, parked about a quarter-mile away, where he was loaded and transported to Alpine Animal Hospital.

Lobo initially showed signs of improvement but sadly passed away on Sunday night.

"SLTPD and Lobo’s family would like to express sincere appreciation and gratitude to the citizens who helped rescue him and to the security employee who recovered the officer’s equipment that fell in the lake," said SLTPD Sgt. Travis Cabral. "SLTPD would like to thank Alpine Animal Hospital for trying to save Lobo’s life. It is contributions like this that keep our community strong."