Baltic zu Hause - Dog joins crew of ship that rescued him

Die Baltica hat ein neues Crewmitglied. Bereits am Freitag fielen die Würfel, als die anderen beiden Möchte-gern-Besitzer gar nicht erst zum Wiedersehensdate erschienen...Baltic bleibt bei seinen Rettern, zumindest sofern der wahre Besitzer weiterhin nicht auftaucht. Baltic scheint seine neue Rolle als Crewmitglied zu genießen, er macht sich bereits mit dem Schiff, seiner Crew und seinen Gepflogenheiten vertraut. Schlafplatz ist eine Decke im Schiffslabor, zum Frühstück gibt es Würstchen und er genießt offensichtlich die Nähe zum Mechaniker, der ihn aus dem Wasser gezogen hat, denn zu ihm zieht es ihn oft.Erste offizielle Mission ist am 10. Februar, da sticht die Baltica zum ersten Mal wieder in See, und sofern er keine Angst zeigt, kommt er mit. Seeerfahren ist er ja nun, jetzt geht es nur noch um die Seetüchtigkeit. Das Institut, dem das Boot gehört, schickte bereits einen Hundenapf sowie ein Quietschspielzeug, die Wisssenschaftler an Bord brachten Hundefutter. Und der Präsident von Polen, Lech Kasczinsky, der freut sich auch,selbst Hundebesitzer, beglückwünschte er die Crew zu der Rettungsaktion, " Es sind solche Gesten, die diese Welt zu einer besseren machen." Dem ist nichts anderes hinzuzufügen.WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A dog rescued from the Baltic Sea after braving a 75-mile journey on an ice floe is making himself at home on the Polish research ship whose crew rescued him, the captain said Friday.

Jerzy Wosachlo, the captain of the Baltica, said the dog slept on a blanket in the ship's laboratory, then shared a sausage breakfast with the crew. He said the dog often sticks close to the mechanic who saved him but also has started moving around as he pleases, enjoying the company of people.

"We have enrolled him as a crew member," Wosachlo said.

Nicknamed "Baltic," the dog _ furry and friendly _ will continue in that capacity unless his owner is found, the captain said. The ship is preparing to sail Feb. 10 on a brief mission _ with the dog, unless he is afraid, Wosachlo said.

With the ship in the port of Gdynia on Friday, the black-and-brown mongrel was occasionally taken on land for walks, he said.

The Sea Fishing Institute that owns the ship sent a bowl and a squeaking toy, and the scientists on board brought dog food. And Wosachlo was receiving numerous calls from people offering money to feed the dog or wanting to adopting him.

After news of the dog's rescue broke, four people called saying he was theirs. But the dog kept his distance from the first two, showing no recognition. Two other putative owners who had planned to come for the dog Friday canceled, Wosachlo said.

President Lech Kaczynski, himself a dog owner, sent the crew a letter praising its action in saving the dog's life.

"Such gestures make our world... a better one," Kaczynski wrote.

Source: AP, read full story here/29.01.2010
Related posting about the rescue incl.Video and more photos here
Photo credits: Maciej Czoska/AP

Another story from Poland....Dog rescued from ice floe in Baltic Sea...Oder , wie kommt der Hund aufs Eis?

Nach Sarah Tucker letztes Jahr im August, nun eine ganz andere Geschichte eines Hundes und seiner Rettung...-
After Sarah Tucker last year in August, now quite a different kind of unusual story with happy ending about a dog and his rescue ...
Ein Hund driftet mindestens 4 Tage lang auf Ostseetreibeis ...-
A dog drifted for at least 4 days on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea...
Das ist Baltic nach seiner Odyssee auf dem Eis. -
That's Baltic, after his odyssey on an ice floe of the Baltic Sea. Auf diesem Foto von Dienstag sieht man Adam Buczynski, Seemann auf der "Baltica" , der den Hund vom Eis geholt hat...

In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 and made available Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 Adam Buczynski carries a dog found floating cold and alone on an ice floe 15 miles off the Polish Baltic Sea coast in Gdynia, Poland. Buczynski, a sailor from the ship 'Baltic' pulled out the dog from the ice floe.

Dog drifts 75 miles on ice, rescued in Baltic Sea

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press Writer / Thu Jan 28

"WARSAW, Poland – A frightened, shivering dog was rescued after floating at least 75 miles (120 kilometers) on an ice floe down Poland's Vistula River and into the Baltic Sea, officials said Thursday.

Now his saviors just have to figure out who really owns him.

Four people have already claimed him, but so far rescuers say there's been no wagging tail of joy from the miracle dog they nicknamed "Baltic."

The dog's frozen odyssey came as Poland suffers through a winter cold snap, with temperatures dipping to below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius).

The thick-furred male dog was found adrift Monday 15 miles (24 kilometers) out in the Baltic Sea by the crew of the Baltica, a Polish ship of ocean scientists carrying out research.

Researcher Natalia Drgas said Thursday the rescue was difficult and at one point it seemed the dog had drowned.

"It was really a tough struggle. It kept slipping into the water and crawling back on top of the ice. At one point it vanished underwater, under the ship and we thought it was the end, but it emerged again and crawled on an ice sheet," Drgas said.

At that point, the crew lowered a pontoon down to the water and a crew member managed to grab the dog by the scruff of his neck and pull him to safety.

Too weak to shake off the frigid water, Baltic was dried and wrapped in blankets. After he warmed up, he was massaged, fed and soon got on his feet to seek company, Drgas said.

A firefighter in Grudziadz, on the Vistula river 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland from the Bay of Gdansk, told The Associated Press the dog was spotted Saturday floating on ice through the city. Firefighters tried to save him but could not approach the dog due to shifting ice sheets, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Baltica crew, now moored in the port city of Gdynia, have been searching for the dog's owners, ship captain Jerzy Wosachlo said. So far four people have claimed him, but Baltic has not claimed any of them back, Drgas said.

The dog didn't welcome the first two people to come for him, keeping his distance and showing no recognition toward a couple on Wednesday and a woman on Thursday who both said he was theirs. Two other would-be owners were still en route to Gdynia for a possible reunion.

Once in port, the brown-and-black mongrel was taken to a veterinarian, who found him in surprisingly good condition and estimated his age at around 5 or 6 years old. Veterinarian Aleksandra Lawniczak said the 44-pound (20-kilogram) dog was clearly frightened but in strikingly good shape and had suffered no frostbite.

A dog with thick fur and a layer of fat can survive such cold conditions for as long as eight days if it has water to drink, Lawniczak said.

She described Baltic as a friendly dog who was clearly well treated before getting lost.

Wosachlo said the research team is prepared to adopt Baltic if his original owner is never found."

Hier ein Video von Baltics Rettung, leider geht daraus nicht hervor, wwieso der Hund überhaupt aufs Eis kam...-

See here the video of Baltic's rescue which unfortunately does not explain how the dog came to float on the ice in the first place...

Mehr zu Baltic, wenn wir wissen, wann es mit dem Schwanzerkennungswedeln geklappt hat (vielleicht wedelt er ja nur noch , wenn er seine Retter sieht...?))

We will get back to you as soon as we have heard any more recognition-tail-wagging-news ..., maybe he is decided only to wag his tail when seeing his rescuers...?))

Anyway it is a heartwarming story and thanks to everybody involved to rescue this nice looking guy...!!!

Video Source: Huffington Post

Text source & related: The Chronicle Journal, Reuters (incl. video), Brisbane Times (incl.video), yahoo (identic AP story, also incl. a video) , popfi

Photo credits: all AP, the one on yahoo & The Chronicle Journal mentioned photographer Maciej Czoska)