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South Milwaukee firefighters rescue ‘Tuff’ the bulldog from icy waters of Lake Michigan

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SOUTH MILWAUKEE -- A 12-year-old bulldog lived up to its name on Friday, Jan. 31 -- after being rescued from Lake Michigan by the South Milwaukee Fire Department.

Tuff apparently ventured out onto some ice to retrieve a stick and fell through the ice and into the frigid water. Officials say he was reportedly submerged for ten minutes or more.

Ironically, the South Milwaukee Fire Department trained in the very same area on Wednesday -- and responded to the scene and rescued Tuff.

With permission of the owner, Tuff was transported to a local veterinary clinic where he is expected to make a full recovery.

In a Facebook post, South Milwaukee fire officials posted the following:

"This is a prime example of not only why we train and equip for these events, but how our training can come back full circle and pay huge dividends. Some might question why we risk our lives to rescue a dog. Responding crews encountered numerous ill-prepared civilians on the thin ice themselves attempting to rescue Tuff. So, in order to reduce their risk of falling in, the well trained and equipped members of the SMFD jumped into action. In the end, it was a tremendous success and Tuff will hopefully live many more years to bark about it."
