By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Death of pet prompts ice warning

Jan 4, 2017 | 9:52 AM

LETHBRIDGE – A sad story from the Oldman River is prompting a warning from Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.

Firefighters were unable to resuscitate a pet dog that became trapped beneath the ice, after it chased after some birds on the river near the Highway 3 bridge Tuesday, Jan. 3.

“There are open parts of the river, and there are geese and ducks that are congregating in those areas. It’s fairly enticing for a dog to see those and chase after them,” deputy fire chief Dana Terry said.

Terry explained fire crews pulled the dog from open water nearby, but couldn’t revive the family pet. Terry called the situation “disheartening.”

The unsuccessful rescue prompted the city to put out an advisory cautioning pet owners who venture near open bodies of water, to keep their pets on a leash, especially ice over moving water such as the river. Terry said this is not only for the benefit of pets and owners, but also keeps rescue crews out of harms way.

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If an animal does go out on the ice, its owners are advised not to go out after it but to try to coax it back to shore. Should the pet break through, people should not try to rescue it themselves, but to call 911 and the fire department can use its ice rescue equipment.