Actually, a couple from Essen just wanted to go on a motorboat excursion on Lake Starnberg.
When suddenly her pug fell into the water and his master jumped after, the situation took a dramatic turn.
Niederpöcking - It was a matter of life and death.
There is no other way to describe the dramatic minutes that happened on Saturday around 4.15 p.m. on Lake Starnberg in front of Niederpöcking.
About 350 meters from the shore, the motorboat excursion of a woman (29) and a man (32) from Essen took a dramatic turn.
The woman's dog, a pug, had fallen into the water.
The 32-year-old jumped after to save him.
"He almost paid for this love of animals with his life," reports Police Chief Inspector Kai Motschmann from the Starnberg police.
Water temperature of 11.2 degrees in Lake Starnberg: man wants to save dog - muscles cramp
According to the police, the water had a temperature of only 11.2 degrees. A person with a normal constitution can spend a “maximum of 20 minutes” in it, says Walter Kohlenz, Chairman of the DLRG Pöcking-Starnberg, on request. The body gives off heat very quickly to the cold water, the strength decreases, the muscles cramp, he explains the result. This is exactly what the 32-year-old went through.
Fortunately for him, it was precisely at that moment that a patrol from the Starnberg Water Police noticed the motorboat and various objects that were lying in the water.
"In order to clarify the situation, the officers quickly drove their boat closer and saw a young woman leaning over the side of the boat and holding onto a man's head with the last of her strength", reports Motschmann.
"This one was on the verge of sinking because he was very hypothermic and weak and could no longer climb into the boat."
Starnberger See: man about to drown - police throw him life belt
The two policemen threw the exhausted man a life preserver "which he could slip into just in time".
Secured in this way, the officers pulled the 32-year-old onto their service boat.
They immediately started first aid and alerted the DLRG guard station in Possenhofen.
A little later, three emergency services were on the scene with the DLRG boat and took over medical care.
At the DLRG station, the rescue service took over the severely hypothermic man and finally brought him to the Tutzing hospital.
The trigger for it all, the pug, also survived the action.
Motschmann: "He could still be pulled into her motorboat by the animal keeper."
With corona test, appointment and only until 10 p.m.: Many restaurateurs in the Starnberg district are ready to reopen on Monday under these conditions. For some, it's not worth it. By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our new, regular Starnberg newsletter.