Dog day afternoon: Diablo has a devil of a time stuck in ice lake Ruff job ... A firefighter struggles to rescue Diablo from an ice lake in St Louis. TALK about a dog day afternoon. Poor old Doberman pinscher Diablo and some local firefighters all had a devil of a time after the pooch fell through the ice on a partially frozen lake in St Louis. Tough job ... Firefighters figure out how best to rescue Diablo. He'd been chasing a goose - as dogs do - and ended up stuck for nearly half an hour before help arrived. Firefighter Demetris Alfred said Diablo was close to death before they reached him. "He was almost done," he said. Ruff day ... Diablo wasn't always cooperative. The rescue proved difficult with Diablo not the most cooperative of victims. "He kept rolling over and submerging," said firefighter Stan Baynes. Gotcha ... A devil of a time for rescuers but they got their dog. But the brave men from the St. Louis Fire Department's Rescue Squad 1C eventually got the job done, using a ladder and ropes to pull the cold canine from the lake in O'Fallon Park on Sunday afternoon. Thumbs up ... Diablo was safe and on his way to a warm blanket. A grateful owner Jason Newsome was waiting with a warm blanket and immediately whisked Diablo away to a veterinarian. Canine carry ... A ladder helped transport a tired and cold Diablo. Warm embrace ... Diablo's owner Jason Newsome is happy to see him. Low profile ... Diablo headed to the vets to get checked out.