Minnesota rescue crews save deer, dog -- and a human, too -- from thin ice

First responders came to the rescue for a deer and a dog — and a human, too — that were caught on thin ice in separate incidents in Minnesota this weekend.

The White Bear Lake Police Department reported that authorities received a report Sunday morning of a deer stuck in Priebe Lake, off Riviera Drive North.

"The officers found a doe had fallen through thin ice and a buck was waiting nearby," the police department reported.

Officers paged out the fire department, and a firefighter was able to navigate the water and thin ice to rescue the doe. The deer was able to get out of the lake and ran off.

"Kudos to the White Bear Lake Fire Department on the save!" the police department posted.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office reported Saturday that crews were called to a lake north of Virginia after a man was stranded out on the ice while rescuing a dog.

The sheriff's office reported that a dog broke through thin ice on Sand Lake early Saturday afternoon. The dog's owner tried to walk out on the ice but broke through in about 3 feet of water; he was able to get back to shore.

"Another neighbor then used a canoe to go out onto the ice and pulled the dog into the canoe where he became stranded with the dog," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "Using a nearby boat, a St. Louis County Rescue Squad member, using a dry suit, walked the boat out to the canoe and retrieved the neighbor and dog and brought them to shore."

Authorities said no one required medical attention.

The sheriff's office said it "strongly discourages going out on the ice when it is so thin."

Click here for ice safety tips from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.