Lethbridge Fire officials safely rescue a cold and tired Collie Photo Courtesy: Officer Skylar Plourde

By Lara Fominoff

River rescue

Lethbridge Firefighters save dog stuck on Oldman River ice shelf

Nov 9, 2019 | 10:29 AM

Lethbridge, AB – A farm family’s collie is tired, but safe after Lethbridge Firefighters, Lethbridge Animal Control and RCMP officers rescued it from an ice shelf this Friday morning.

According to Platoon Chief Dave Heatherington, a 9-1-1 call was made around 9 a.m. about a dog stuck on an ice shelf in the Oldman River in the Paradise Canyon area of west Lethbridge.

Heatherington says the dog belongs to a farming family with property near the airport. The dog had gone missing, and the owner was looking for it.

10 Firefighters, including RCMP and Animal Control Officials found the animal barely clinging on to the ice. A kind of hook was used to safely grab the animal and gently ease it onto a river rescue raft. It was warmed up and dried off, and reunited with its owner.

Heatherington says conditions in the Oldman River right now are dangerous.

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“There’s ice along the banks, but the water is flowing freely in the middle of the river.”

Lethbridge Fire and EMS are reminding people to stay away from the ice along the river. If a pet gets stuck on the ice, Heatherington says no one should try and rescue the animal, but instead call 9-1-1 immediately.