Edmonton fire crews are pleading with the public to stay off the river after a therapy dog was swept under the ice at Terwillegar Dog Park on Thursday.
Braelynn Hackett, 19, was at the south Edmonton park with her dog, Jersey, when the one-year-old English Bulldog ran out onto the ice.
“The animal got onto the ice and into the water and was sucked under the ice,” said Brian Dewan, district chief with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services.
Hackett ran out onto the ice but wasn’t able to save her dog. Dewan stressed that it is not safe to be on the river at this time of year and urged people to ensure their animals don’t go near the water.
“This river area that runs through Edmonton is a very dangerous situation right now, both for yourself and your pets. If you get into that water, there’s no way really of saving yourself. You’re going to go under the ice,” he said.
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“We don’t want people on the ice. People are not going to be able to fight that river any more than your pet is. So if your pet does get out on the ice and it goes under please, stay off the river.”
READ MORE: Stay off the river, away from stormwater lakes: City of Edmonton
Hackett’s mother told Global News her daughter bought Jersey about a year ago. She said Hackett was going through a hard time after her best friend, Sonja Burton, died in a car crash.
READ MORE: 17-year-old girl killed in rollover remembered as ‘an angel’
Hackett took to Facebook Thursday night to share her thoughts on losing her beloved dog.
“I always thought Sonja sent me Jersey so that I wouldn’t have to be alone when she passed away,” she wrote. “But now it breaks my heart to have to say that Jersey has now passed in a terrible accident.
“Within three seconds my angel was gone.”
Hackett said she did everything she could to try to save Jersey, including nearly drowning herself.
“We waited and waited but nothing popped up. I tried to break the ice but the current was strong and she wasn’t there,” Hackett said.
“She meant the absolute world to me. She was my little beam of sunshine that kept me going every day… Rest in peace you innocent-like soul, you were the best lil’ baby I could have ever asked for.”
EMS crews were called to the scene to tend to Hackett, who suffered minor scratches.
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