Police got a call at 4:20 p.m. saying Yogi was missing from the back yard of his owners’ Franklin Street home on the edge of Sunset Lake, Deputy Fire Chief William Coppens said.

Yogi apparently ran out of the yard when wind blew the gate open, officials said. When police arrived, they saw Yogi swimming in the lake.

“It was dusk. We had to move the engines and equipment about 1,500 feet from the street to the water,” Coppens said. Twelve firefighters arrived in two engines.

Firefighters Joe Zanca, Rob Loud and John Tanguay were pushed toward Yogi on an ice sled.  I couldn’t imagine a faster response,” said Jessica Voloudakis, one of Yogi’s owners.

“They were so nice and so sympathetic, I want to nominate them all for sainthood.”

The ice was thick enough to safely hold the firefighters, but one fell in while trying to reach Yogi, Coppens said.  He was wearing a submersible suit and was not injured.

“The dog was pretty tired. He didn’t look like he would have lasted for much longer,” Coppens said. Firefighters returned Yogi to his owner, who took him to a veterinarian.

“Thank God he’s such a strong swimmer,” Voloudakis said. Coppens said Yogi was in the water for 20 minutes and was in good condition when firefighters rescued him.

“He was wet, maybe had a little hypothermia, but he was fine,” he said.