Polish pooch rescued from ice floe

Incredibly, a dog survived a 75-mile trip on an ice floe — and that included being rescued 15 miles out at sea.

Here's the Associated Press story on msnbc.com.

The pooch was first seen on an ice floe on the Vistula River, about 60 miles inland in Poland. Local firefighters in Grudziadz were unsuccessful in rescue attempts.

On Monday, the dog was spotted 15 miles from shore on the Baltic Sea. Crew members of the Baltica saved him.

The rescue was difficult because the dog kept falling into the water. Fearing he could drown, the crew lowered a pontoon to the water and the mechanic, Adam Buczynski, managed to grab the dog by the scruff of the neck and pull him to safety.

In port, the 44-pound (20-kilogram) dog was taken to a veterinarian, who found him in surprisingly good condition and estimated he was 5 or 6 years old.

Now named Baltic, the dog is staying on the ship, which is a Polish research vessel.

So far, four people have claimed to be his owner, but the article said he wouldn't go near two of them and the other "owners" did not show up at meetings with the crew and dog.

Be sure and watch the video of the rescue.

Pretty lucky dog, don't you think?