The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are still basking in the afterglow of their historic Grey Cup victory — breaking the city’s almost 40-year championship drought — and despite the uncertain future of the upcoming CFL season, some Bombers are still making welcome appearances in the community.
Running back Brady Oliveira told 680 CJOB he was walking his five-month-old puppy, Nellie, at Maple Grove Dog Park on Tuesday when he said he heard a woman’s cry for help.
“I was just walking with Nellie there yesterday afternoon, and I saw a lady run down to the river and say, ‘oh my god, my dog’s down there!’,” Oliveira said.
“It’s still crazy to think about. I’m just so, so happy I was there. Right place, right time.”
The woman, Ashley Bourgeois, told 680 CJOB her senior dog loved swimming in the river at that spot in his younger years, and decided to give it another try.
This time, the 11-year-old couldn’t get out of the water because of the current.
Bourgeois said the dog struggled to swim over, and while bracing herself against a tree, she was able to grab hold of his collar, and with one leg in the water, hoisted up the dog.
That’s when Oliveira arrived on the scene, threw down a leash and helped her get the dog safely onto dry land.
“I could see why she had trouble pulling him out and how she slipped in,” he said.
Bourgeois said while the situation has been characterized as a ‘rescue’, she had the situation well under control, but appreciated the helping gesture from the Bomber.
“He lent a helping hand, which I think is beautiful — I think more humans on this planet should lend a helping hand.”
That advocacy, in fact, is how Oliveira met his dog Nellie — named for the Nelson House community where he found her.
“I was only going to foster her for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, I was a foster failure for her, and she’s my baby girl.
“I think Nellie has been my safe haven this whole quarantine.”
When he’s not helping dogs — or his fellow Winnipeggers — Oliveira is waiting, along with the rest of the Canadian Football League, for the potential start of the 2020-21 season, which is in jeopardy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.