A dog that reportedly was stranded on the ice Tuesday morning on Cobbosseecontee Stream in Richmond is believed to have drowned.

Police Chief Scott MacMaster said authorities have talked to the dog’s presumed owners.

“The dog is still missing,” MacMaster said. “We believe that it did drown.”

Richmond firefighters and police spent about an hour searching for the dog after a homeowner on Chiya Lane reported the animal was struggling on the ice close to shore about 7 a.m.

“I’m not sure how long the dog was on, or through, the ice before we got called,” Fire Chief Matt Roberge said Tuesday morning.

Firefighters used cold water rescue suits and an ice rescue sled to search the area for the dog. The search was abandoned after an hour when the dog was not found.

“The dog may have gotten out when nobody was watching,” Roberge said. “Unfortunately, it may have gone under the ice.”

The dog was black and may have been a Labrador retriever, Roberge said. He notified the animal control officer, who was able to find the dog’s owners.

Ice has started to form in the stream near the shore, but it is still unsafe for people or pets.

“It’s very precarious,” Roberge said. “We definitely encourage people to keep their pets in control when they’re out and about.”

MacMaster is holding out hope that the dog survived, so he asked anyone who sees a black dog running loose in the area to call police.