Fire officials in St. Albert, Alta. are urging residents to stay off the ice after a series of close calls this month, one of which involved a young man jumping into a freezing pond to rescue his dog.
In a popular video recorded by CTV Edmonton on Saturday, Duncan MacIver can be seen swimming through the cold water of an icy pond near an off-leash dog park to save his dog Cosmo that had fallen through the thin ice. After a few tense moments, MacIver was able to make it safely back to shore with his dog.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a split second thing,鈥� MacIver said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not just going to let him die, right?鈥�
And he鈥檚 not the only one who would take that kind of a risk for their pet. Simon Chance told CTV Edmonton on Monday that he would have gone into that same frigid pond if his dog Asia was in trouble. He said his dog fell through the pond鈥檚 ice on the weekend while it was chasing a goose.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to go in for her because she came back the way she went out,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淥n the way back she fell through, not all the way through, just up to her shoulders.鈥�
Not all pets are as lucky as Asia and Cosmo, however. The St. Albert Fire Department鈥檚 acting lieutenant Gregg Bauwens said a dog was sucked under by the current after it fell through the ice at Terwillegar Park last week. Unfortunately, the current was just too strong in that larger body of water and they were unable to rescue it, he said.
鈥淭he water鈥檚 running under the ice and the water current would drag you under the ice,鈥� Bauwens said. 鈥淥nce that happens, you have no real chance of a good result.鈥�
Although he applauded MacIver鈥檚 bravery for going in after Cosmo, Bauwens said the outcome could have been much worse.
鈥淭he problem with that gentleman is, if it would have went bad, we wouldn鈥檛 have went for his dog first, we would have went for him,鈥� he explained.
Bauwens said, any time a pet or a loved one falls through the ice, it鈥檚 always better to call for help instead.
鈥淢ost of the fatalities involved with ice water rescues involve people actually going in after their pets or children,鈥� he said.
Fire officials in St. Albert told CTV Edmonton on Saturday they had received three calls for ice rescues in as many days.
鈥淭his year it鈥檚 just been that bit of an anomaly. I don鈥檛 know why,鈥� fire prevention and safety officer Les David Mroz said.
Despite the safety warnings from emergency officials, Chance said he thinks pet owners such as MacIver would still go onto the ice in the future if it meant rescuing their pet鈥檚 life.
鈥淚f it happened to him [MacIver] again, what do you think would happen?鈥� Chance asked. 鈥淲hat do you think he鈥檇 do? He鈥檇 go in!鈥�
With files from CTV Edmonton
