WATCH ABOVE: It was a tragic day for an Edmonton family as their beloved pet fell through thin ice and presumably died. As Margeaux Morin explains, it’s a reminder of the dangers along the river at this time of year.
EDMONTON – It’s a common plea from emergency officials every spring: stay off the ice. But it can fall on deaf ears, especially if those ears belong to a four-legged friend.
Tragedy befell an Edmonton family on Monday when their four-year-old dog Clyde chased some birds out onto the ice and fell through.
Owner Adrian Antwright said Clyde, a shepherd-husky cross, went on daily walks with his neighbour and the neighbour’s black lab.
Antwright said the group was headed back to car after a walk at Wilfred Laurier Park in the river valley on Monday, when Clyde took off after some birds. The 25 lb. dog ran out onto the North Saskatchewan River and fell through thin ice.
“He was trying to swim for about a minute before he fell under. And once he fell under, no body saw him again,” said Antwright.
The neighbour tried to reach the dog and Edmonton Fire Rescue spent an hour searching the icy waters. Antwright and his mother showed up on scene shortly after, to find out that Clyde was presumed dead.
“When he was just a puppy, he was hit by a car. He had his back right leg amputated and he just had three legs. It probably didn’t help his chances of swimming and saving himself,” said Antwright. He added that in spite of only having three legs, Clyde was very strong and people often didn’t notice the missing limb until they got up close.
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But in the end the dog didn’t stand a chance in the frigid waters. Nor did he stop at the bank when the neighbour tried to call him back.
The Edmonton Humane Society says the incident is a reminder of the importance of obedience training.
“It’s the time of year where everything is melting and we have a lot of unstable ice conditions across the province, and unfortunately our dog parks are located near the river,” said Travis Grant, Edmonton Humane Society. “It’s a beautiful thing, but it does pose a risk.”
Grant insists that training for excellent recall could mean the difference between life and death.
“You can also keep your animal on a longer leash, so that they do have that distance to run, but that if they do look like they are going to head towards the river you can prevent them from doing so,” he also suggested.
The ice can be unstable at all times of the year, no matter how cold it has been or how solid it may look. This winter has been unseasonably mild.
“In the winter time we can never be certain of the ice conditions on the North Saskatchewan River. There is flowing water under there, a lot of volume. It’s a major river so just err on the side of caution and stay away,” Grant said.
Clyde’s owner agreed.
“Just don’t go on the ice regardless of anything,” said Adrian Antwright. “My neighbour, once he saw my dog go through he tried to save him, and he crawled out.
“Just don’t go on the ice no matter what the situation. Don’t go on the ice at all.”
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