Dog rescued by park ranger, divers from Highland Park's Carnegie Lake

The owner of a Yorkshire terrier got a scare Thursday afternoon when the dog became trapped in Carnegie Lake at Pittsburgh’s Highland Park.

Emergency dispatchers received a report of the dog needing help at about 1:15 p.m., Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews said.

According to initial reports, the dog fell into Carnegie Lake, then became “wedged” under a slab along the water’s edge, Matthews said.

Officials did not elaborate on how the dog became trapped.

Carnegie Lake sits east of Highland Park’s two reservoirs and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Place Aquarium. It’s between Lake and Reservoir drives and near an off-leash dog park area and the Highland Park swimming pool. The lake is intersected by several pedestrian paths that divide the water into sections with perpendicular concrete slabs.

A Pittsburgh park ranger who was nearby the lake was the first to arrive, according to Matthews, and got in the water in an attempt to rescue the dog.

The park ranger then received help from divers with Pittsburgh emergency medical services (EMS).

The EMS dive team helped get “the dog from an opening under the slab,” Matthews said.

The divers managed to safely retrieve the dog, then returned the pet to its owner.

The owner was not identified and could not be reached for comment late Thursday.

Police released a photo of the owner standing near a park bench outside the water’s edge clutching the water-soaked Yorkie, which did not appear injured.

Police, firefighter and emergency management units also responded to assist.

Trib news partner WPXI-TV’s Chopper 11 helicopter spotted a large presence of emergency vehicles and public safety crews during the animal’s rescue.