It happened on Tuesday in Brampton, Ontario. The dog somehow managed to get itself stranded on an icy pond and it was alone out there. A passing truck driver spotted the dog on the ice and called it in.
Two firefighters went to the scene and found the dog had fallen through the ice and was floundering in the water, unable to get back to solid footing. They managed a rather dramatic rescue by crawling out onto the ice, which was breaking all around them, and getting into the water, making their way to the forlorn and very cold animal.
The had on special suits designed to keep them afloat and keep out some winter cold. Also with them was a “stokes basket,” a long yellow stretcher-like conveyance with sides designed to float in water.
The two get up close to the dog and, encouraged by their presence, it manages to move toward them. Soon enough they help it into the Stokes basket and are able to get back onto ice and eventually the shore.
“We went out and we were able to get him into a basket and pull him in,” one of the firefighters, Jason Michel, told Global News. “He seemed pretty happy to see us. He seemed pretty energetic once he got out of the water.”
The dog was taken to Brampton Animal Services and checked out and pronounced hale and hearty. The owner, Jill Gillan, was found when a friend of hers saw footage of the rescue on TV, recognized the dog and called her. Gillan picked up her dog, Blaze, and told media that she was “quite mortified” to hear what had happened to Blaze.
On Wednesday, the two visited the fire department together to thank Blaze’s heroic rescuers in person. She said she would also like to thank the unknown truck driver who called the fire department and set in motion the rescue.
