EDMONTON – Fire Rescue workers were kept busy for about five hours Monday morning, getting a dog off a frozen lake in northeast Edmonton.
Crews spent hours trying to guide the curious pooch off the man-made lake in the Hollick Kenyon neighbourhood, which was iced over, but conditions started to deteriorate as the morning wore on.
“This is the first time we’ve seen this,” said Bev Friske, who lives nearby and watched the developments from shore.
“Tranquilize it or get the people away and let the dog come over,” she said, adding that the animal was likely scared.
Workers tried a number of different strategies to catch the dog, including nets, cornering him in inflatable boats pushed across the ice, and they even tried luring him with a bowl of dog food.
“We had to chase him back and forth a number of times,” explained firefighter Dave Kerr, “but you can’t blame him – he was probably scared and tired. And it’s part of the job. We were just happy to be out here to help.”
“Seems like a lot of fuss,” Friske said, “that’s an understatement.”
“I’ve been watching it since six o’clock in the morning,” added Irene Stolarchuk. “Three fire trucks, ambulance, search and rescue… the dog is outwitting them no matter what they try.”
“It is a big expense for the city of Edmonton.”
(Watch Above: Raw video of the dog rescue in Hollick Kenyon Monday)
Shortly before noon, the dog was successfully rescued from the ice and appeared to be in good condition.
“The dog was obviously tired by the time we got him off,” said Kerr. “He’s been out here most of the morning. We eventually corralled him and I think he was just as happy to get off the ice as we were to get him off.”
“This is the longest time I’ve been on a lake looking for a dog,” he added.
“We’re just happy everybody got off safely.”
The male dog was wearing a collar and Animal Care and Control workers will now try to connect him with his owners.
“We’re going to try to find the owner, see where he belongs,” said officer Trena MacGillivary with the Animal Care and Control Centre. “He does have a city tag on him.”
A veterinarian was also contacted to make sure the dog wasn’t hurt.
“She’ll just make sure that there’s no injuries, make sure he doesn’t need medical attention.”
MacGillivary said it was too soon to say whether any charges would be laid.
There were initial reports of a second dog on the ice, but rescue officials say it was not there when they arrived.
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