Dog rescued after 4 days stranded along icy Detroit River

A dog that survived frigid temperatures and a run-in with a coyote has been rescued after spending four days stranded on ice along the Detroit River.

The small dog was rescued Saturday afternoon by a boater from Windsor, following an international effort that involved Americans and Canadians on both sides of the Detroit River.

The canine is being looked at by staff at the Woodhaven Animal Hospital, who are calling the 1-year-old male dog Alfonso. The hospital's staff said Sunday in a Facebook update that he was doing well.

Patricia Trevino with the River Rouge Animal Shelter said the dog, whose owner remains unknown, survived four bitterly cold days on floating river ice and other areas along the river in the Detroit suburb of Ecorse, near the John D. Dingell Park.

"It's an amazing story of survival," she told WDIV-TV. Trevino said her crew watched the dog every day and that apparently a coyote at some point chased the marooned canine farther onto the river.

Alfonso's rescue was an international effort that involved LaSalle Fire Services in Ontario, BASF Corporation and other local groups along the river.

But it was Jude Mead of J&J Marine in Windsor who rescued Alfonso off of a Detroit River island Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Woodhaven Animal Hospital owner Dr. Lucretia Greear, who's one of the veterinary doctors caring for the dog, said he is recovering from frostbite to his paw pads, dehydration and pancreatitis.