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Photo by Maciej Czoska for The Associated Press

From the Associated Press

The incredible story of Baltic, rescued from an ice sheet at sea, has struck a chord worldwide.

The sea-going mutt is being bombarded with e-mail, will likely soon have a Facebook page — and a family drove more than 300 miles from the Czech Republic in the false hope he was their lost pet.

Calls and e-mails have come from as far away as Australia and Canada praising the crew of a ship that rescued Baltic and pleading for updates and photos, said Ewa Baradziej-Krzyzankowska, the dog’s de facto spokeswoman, who works for the Sea Fisheries Institute in Gdynia, a co-owner of the scientific-research ship that saved Baltic.

The dog was rescued Jan. 25 after the ship’s crew spotted him floating 15 miles from land, trapped on an ice floe. The rescue was difficult because the frightened, shivering dog kept falling into the icy water.

It’s not clear where Baltic’s journey began, but he was seen two days before his rescue floating down the Vistula River 60 miles inland. Firefighters tried but failed to rescue him.

After Baltic’s rescue, a veterinarian declared him to be in remarkably good shape considering his ordeal. Still, he was put on a special diet because of stomach problems resulting from his long stretch without food. But he isn’t really sticking with that because the ship’s crew members love to sneak him treats, the spokeswoman said.

“Everybody loves him. All the crew spoils him terribly,” she said. “Just imagine — a crew of seasoned sailors who have experienced a lot in their lives, all crazy about a little dog.”