09/20/2024
Bruce Burry’s 145-pound German shepherd, Bosco, is a lucky dog, thanks to their Williamsburg neighbor Larry Lelito and his grandson, Eli Lelito. Burry, Bosco, and Burry’s two other dogs were hiking along an old railroad track near Barker Creek when Bosco stepped into what Burry at first thought was simply a fissure of some sort, perhaps an overgrown creek. But Bosco quickly became submerged up to his armpits and was unable to scramble out of the mucky, murky substance.
“He was very calm, but he couldn’t get out,” said Burry, who is visually impaired and was unable to pull the heavy pooch out by himself. So, he called neighbor Larry who, along with Eli, was able to extricate Bosco with the aid of a tow strap. Bosco seemed none the worse for his time in what Burry describes as something that acted very much like quicksand.
Michigan DNR wetland habitat biologist Randy Knapik says quicksand-like conditions can occur in bogs where organic soil and peat become extremely saturated with water, making them soft and unstable. While he said that someone who encounters this condition may become stuck, they won’t get sucked under. “Is it generally life-threatening like in the movies? No,” he said. “Could you have a leg suctioned in mud and be stuck? Yes.”
Caughtcha being good Larry Lelito and Eli Lelito and thank you for coming to the aid of your neighbors Bosco and Bruce.