Not all heroes wear capes: WATCH as officer crawls across ice to rescue dog stranded on lake

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ - The Hazlet Township Police Department shared a video to its Facebook page showing the moments one of its officers jumped into an ice cold lake to help rescue a dog that found itself stranded. 

According to CBS News, Patrolman Doug Centrone crawled across a thin sheet of ice on the partially frozen lake at Veteran's Park before entering the frigid water. He lifted a dog named Taffy back onto the ice so she could run back to shore. The department said that Patrolman Centrone is part of the agency's Maritime Emergency Response Team. Thanks to his training, he was able to quickly don his gear and rescue the dog.

Police said Taffy's owner tripped and lost her leash when the dog tried to chase a goose on the lake. After making it back to dry land, Taffy was wrapped in blankets and put in her car to get warm. The department said in a statement, "We would like to commend Ptl. Centrone for his quick actions and proving it's important to help out all in need, even canines!"

In Medina, Ohio, two police officers saved a dog that had fallen through a frozen pond. According to reports, the incident happened on Thursday, February 20th. Officers Brink and Terwillinger with the Medina Police Department were dispatched to the scene early in the morning. Upon arriving on scene, they found the dog struggling to keep afloat in the freezing water, howling and crying for help. Both officers quickly sprang into action.

Using a combination of a rescue rope and a catch pole, officers were able to easily grab and pull the dog to safety. The dog was immediately covered in blankets. The dog, named Ace, was taken to a nearby veterinary clinic to get checked out. Medina Veterinary Clinic wrote in a post on social media, "He was such a brave boy. So kind and loved by his rescuers. He is happily home with his family and doing much better per his mom."

In January, body camera footage captured the moment officers in Easttown Township, Pennsylvania walked across an icy pond to rescue two black labs that fell into the cold water. According to CBS News, when officers got to the scene they found two black labs. One of them was not far from the bank, but the other needed to be rescued first after swimming to a much deeper end of the pond.

Charles Burdsall, one of the responding officers said, "If they weren't able to get themselves out, they may have drowned." He said it was the first call they ever received for a water rescue in Easttown Township. He said their hearts were racing the entire time, but they didn't think twice knowing that every second mattered. Burdsall said, "The only goal at that time was to get the dog out of the pond."

Their focus was not just on getting the dogs out, but to do so without breaking the ice. Luckily, the officers had a little help from some neighbors who gave them a ladder and a pole that proved to bed exactly what they needed to get the dogs out. Kevin Oreskovich with Easttown Township Police said, "[The dog's] neck was touching the ice. [Burdsall] couldn't get too close to the dog. We figured the ice was thinner there and we didn't want him falling in. It was a pretty amped up situation."

Both of the dogs were rescued and reunited with their owner. The officers are being hailed as heroes. Oreskovich said, "It was rewarding. It felt good." Burdsall said, "Being able to help them when they were in distress, that was big for me."