Hayley Hesselin was out walking her dog Sunday afternoon along the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon when she heard a commotion.
Hesselin first thought it was just kids having fun, but realized there was someone in the water as she got closer.
“I could see three dogs running around right along the edge of the ice,” Hesselin told Global News.
“I got a little bit closer and I saw a red parka and this woman in the water.”
The woman had fallen through the ice while trying to rescue two of her dogs that had gone through the ice while chasing birds.
Hesselin said she dropped everything and yelled at the woman, who was out about 25 feet, that she was coming to help her.
“I went out with a stick and as I got closer, I laid down on my stomach,” Hesselin recalled.
“I extended the stick to her and she was able to grab onto it.”
Hesselin said she pulled the woman out and dragged her to safety.
“She was wearing a back pack, and heavy boots, and ski pants, and a parka, so it wasn’t easy to get her out,” Hesselin said.
“I got her up onto stable ice and once she got a little bit away from the edge of the ice, I was able to drag her by the hood onto more stable ice.”
She was treated for hypothermia.
Hesselin said she has spoken with the woman and her family since the incident and will be meeting with them Wednesday evening.
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