To the editor:

As my husband and I woke up on Saturday morning, our dog Ollie began barking excitedly out our back windows. I looked out and a doe appeared to be stuck in the mud up to her chest in our big pond. I went out to do our morning barn chores and when I returned to the house, the doe had not moved. We knew we could not rescue her by ourselves, so I called the Wakarusa Fire Department and spoke with Chief Mike Baxter. Within an hour, four firemen showed up to help. A specialist in water rescue with a waterproof suit was able to save the day while two of the other firemen kept him tethered with a long rope.

A big thanks to Deputy Chief Dennis, awesome rescue specialist Vince, fire truck driver Captain O., and the fourth fireman whose name I didn’t catch. They graciously and enthusiastically gave up a Saturday morning to help a deer. Also, a shout out of appreciation to Chief Baxter, who took my call seriously and set the rescue in motion. How lucky we are to have such a caring and professional fire and rescue team serving our area.

Lisa Ottinger and Bill Fuerst,

Lawrence