‘He’s our Hero” – local family reunites with Animal Control Officer who traversed icy pond to rescue family pet

Butch and Debbie Chiles along with Molly reunited with Wortham today to say thank you
Butch and Debbie Chiles along with Molly reunited with Wortham today to say thank you

BENTON – One minute Molly, a rambunctious one year-old yellow Labrador Retriever was playing in the yard. The next minute she was struggling to keep her head above the icy waters of her owner’s pond.

It was a sunny day this past month and despite freezing temperatures in the evening, Debbie Chiles delighted at the thought of finally being outdoors enjoying the opportunity to trim her rose bushes.

She noticed Molly enjoying the sunshine as well, romping and playing on the other side of her dog pen. Although she and her husband Butch have a pond on their property, Chiles says she wasn’t worried, Molly never liked the water anyway – despite her breed.

“I guess about 10 minutes had passed and I heard a whimper,” she recalls. In exploring to see where the sound was coming from, Chiles discovered that Molly, who weighs in at more than 100 pounds, had walked to the middle of the pond and fallen through the ice. The dog was flailing frantically breaking ice all around her but was unable to regain her footing.

Chiles said she felt helpless, unable to swim and fearful that a rescue attempt could leave both she and Molly in grave danger. She began screaming for help, a call that her neighbors responded to. “She is my baby,” Chiles said of Molly. “I didn’t know what else to do – I just started screaming and then realized I had my cell phone in my pocket.”

With neighbors unable to assist due to the dangerous conditions and desperate for help as Molly continued to struggle to stay above water, Chiles dialed 9-1-1.

Animal Control Officer Don Wortham was dispatched and arrived within minutes just as Chiles’ husband Butch pulled up. The neighbor had make contact, alerting him to the situation. Butch sprung into action moving the couple’s backhoe close to the pond.

By this time, Molly had been struggling for nearly 30 minutes. “You could tell she was just about ready to give up,” Chiles said. “I don’t know what I would have done if she would have gone under.” Within seconds of arriving on scene, Wortham had roped himself off and entered the pond.

“I used to be a diver in the Navy and I know how to avoid the dangers of hypothermia,” Wortham said of his training and the decision to wade out across the ice.
Wortham made his way out, falling through near the shoreline but making his way back onto the ice as he continued out some 40 to 45 feet from the bank.

Chiles reports the large pond is some 12 feet deep in the mid-section near where Molly was located. Wortham reached the dog and was able to help her from the water, sliding the dog back across the ice to safety.

But Wortham’s return to the bank would be filled with another submersion as the ice gave way underneath. “He just kept pulling the rope and making his way back,” Butch said of the rescue. “He never hesitated, not one bit.”

By the time he made his way out, Wortham was chilled and wore scratches from wrist to neck where Molly had thrashed about fearfully trying gain her freedom – but was otherwise OK.

The Chiles’ offered Wortham warm towels and a fireplace to recover. While a successful rescue, Wortham warns that he does not recommend others do the same. “I have been trained and I know how to avoid becoming hypothermic,” he adds. “The county has specialized teams as well who are trained to do this so it is important not to do yourself, call for help.”

Wortham also noted that his wife Christy, who is a retired nurse practitioner, was by his side, as was Mrs. Chiles, a former Emergency Medical Technician at Marshall County EMS.

In reflecting on the day, Chiles recalls, “Don said something to me that I will never forget. He told us that saving Molly had ‘made his day.’” Earlier that morning, Wortham had responded to a report of a dog that had been struck and critically injured by a car. He had no choice but to put it down. For Wortham, one life was lost, but another was able to be saved.

“He is our hero,” Chiles said. “I don’t know what I would have done if I would have had to watch Molly drown.” She adds that just two years ago, the family lost their 13 year-old beloved dog Fi-Fi who had once been a rescue dog herself.

After making the rule that there would be no new ‘inside dogs,’ Chiles laughingly tells the story of how the couple’s sweet granddaughters affectionately changed “Pap’s” mind by clinging to a photo of a yellow Lab their hearts were set on.

With a little begging and pleading, Molly the Lab came home to become the newest inside/outside member of the Chiles’ family and thanks to the efforts of Animal Control Officer Don Wortham, it looks as if Molly will have many years left to make sweet memories.

Wortham is a volunteer for Marshall County Animal Control and is not paid for his services. A former law enforcement officer, Wortham spends his days assisting MCAC Officers Dennis Lovett and Mike Green where and when possible. “I grew up loving animals and wanting to take care of them,” he says of why he volunteers his time.
Wortham has suffered numerous serious health set-backs over the years and was unable to continue serving in the capacity he once did. However, he says that being able to volunteer his time to help families like the Chiles makes each day worth while.

As thanks for his efforts and as a way to “give back,” the Chiles family has made a donation to the Marshall County Animal Shelter and also plans to make a contribution to the Marshall County Humane Society in Wortham’s honor.