Mom-of-four vanishes into icy river to rescue dog on wedding anniversary
A mother-of-four who was on a wedding anniversary hike disappeared after jumping into a frozen Alaska river to try to save her dog.
Amanda Richmond Rogers, 45, and her husband Brian Rogers took their dogs for a walk on the North Fork of Eagle River on the day before Christmas Eve, which was their 18th wedding anniversary.
They stopped on snow covered ice in a scenic area along the river and the dogs ran and played. One of the pups went to a small opening in the ice with water flowing to have a drink and fell in.
‘I thought I saw a flash of a big white paw underneath the ice. Before even thinking, I was jumping into the water to save our dog,’ Brian told Alaska News Source.
Feeling nothing, Brian jumped out of the opening and looked for their dog again.
‘I turned around and Amanda was getting into the water,’ Brian stated. ‘I knew from the look on her face she was going in to save our dog.’
The husband said he yelled to her but doubted that she heard him as she was zeroed in on saving their dog.
‘Before I could get back to the opening to try and grab her I could see her swimming downstream under the ice and then out of sight,’ he said. ‘I waited and waited and am still waiting.’
The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team called off efforts to find Amanda briefly on Tuesday night because their equipment was frozen. They resumed the search on Thursday.
‘We are continuing the search in Eagle River today, with the assistance of the Alaska Solstice Search Dogs,’ the team posted on Facebook. ‘They are a team we train with and work with quit often.’
Amanda worked as an emergency room nurse and was trained to save and help people, her husband said. She raised four children and loved her family, all animals, the outdoors and adventure.
‘To anyone wondering why we would jump in to save our dog I can only answer, our instincts took over and we went in without thought,’ Brian stated. ‘Amanda loved her dogs nearly as much as our kids, they were our family.’
It is not the first time this month that an individual has risked their life or died to save a pet.
In mid-December, a mother-of-two died after running back into her family’s burning apartment in Houston, Texas, to try to save their cat.
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