A few years ago my wife and I went on a trip to Berlin. It was the middle of Winter. We decided to go for a walk with our two dogs, Boss and Chef, and enjoy the crisp cold air.

As we passed a small lake, Chef, a spunky schnauzer, ran out onto the frozen surface. We tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. Slipping and sliding, he ran across the ice.

All of a sudden he noticed that there was water under his feet. Somehow he must have realized that he was in danger of falling through the thin layer of ice, because suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. His legs were shaking and his whole body was shivering in fear.

We kept calling him, but he just stood there, frozen. He was too scared to walk back off the ice. He was petrified. I figured, maybe he'd feel safer, If I threw a blanket out onto the lake. He wouldn't see the water that way. It didn't help. Chef just stood there, looking at us with his big brown eyes.

After a couple of minutes we found a log nearby. I gently eased it onto the ice, hoping Chef would feel safe enough on the log to get back on land. No luck. Finally I realized that I had no other choice but to go get him. I took off my pants and my wintercoat, and walked towards Chef...

The ice on top of the painfully cold water was not strong enough to support my weight, so I had to wade through the water while the edge of the icy surface kept scraping my thighs and the rocks at the bottom of the lake kept cutting my bare feet.

Chef was terrified! And for every inch I got closer to him, he walked further out into the middle of the lake. Just a few more feet and the water was going to be too deep to walk. Luckily I was able to grab him before one of us drowned...

But I don't think I have to tell you how embarrassed I was, standing there in my bloomers, soaking wet and freezing.

Hermann Westhoff
Aachen, Germany