I've witnessed moments of heartbreak and tragedy through the lens of a camera. Thankfully, the sad times are balanced with the pure joy of seeing lives saved. Even when the life saved is a pet's, it is still a win for the good guys.

Photographing a rescue and sharing it with our readers is one of the highlights of my job.



Exhausted horses mired in swamps, curious dogs that broke through thin ice, and even a cat with its head stuck in the drain hole of a discarded bathtub are all situations that I've had the privilege of seeing. In each case firefighters, animal control officers and other animal-loving responders worked together to keep a creature alive.



Most recently, in Charlton, a large Bernese Mountain Dog broke through ice while on a walk with a dog-sitter. A 911 call was made by the man when it was clear that the dog was not able to climb out of the ice hole. The call brought police officers and firefighters.



When I arrived, Charlton Fire Chief Charles E. Cloutier, Jr. was unloading rope bags and other rescue gear from his truck. He was giving instructions to two of his men who were about to carry the gear into the woods. They had found a route to the best spot to reach the stranded dog in the frozen swamp.



Instead of asking permission to enter the woods, I simply offered to help carry gear. I grabbed a few rope bags and followed the men, hoping I'd see something special.



Five minutes later, I stood at the edge of a frozen swamp. About 30 yards away, the dog, named Hawk, shivered with his front paws and head on the edge of the ice hole. The rest of his body was submerged in water. At this point he had been in the water for about 30 minutes.



I stayed out of the way and shot pictures as Charlton Firefighter Mike Cupoli crawled onto the ice. Firefighter Ron Rivvett and Lt. Brian Ouellette fed out the rope that was anchored to Cupoli's harness. According to the time code on my photographs, it took 20 seconds for Firefighter Cupoli to reach the dog.



He hauled the big, wet animal up onto the ice in another 30 seconds. Cupoli rolled onto his back with the dog and was pulled off the ice by the men on shore. In less than two minutes the dog was saved. That does not include the time it took to find the dog, make a plan and get Firefighter Cupoli into the cold-water suit.



In situations like this, there are a million variables that are out of the photographer's control. Everything has to go right to make pictures like I did in Charlton. Years of experience and the best equipment would not matter much if the dog had his back to me throughout the rescue or if I had been blocked by trees. I just make sure I'm prepared to make the most of a situation when luck does go my way.



And, remembering that some people show bravery and compassion toward an animal in need makes it easier to take the inevitable pictures of tragedy.



Contact Rick Cinclair at rcinclair@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RickCinclair