Ottawa Fire Services is urging pet owners to keep their dogs on leashes, and away from all waterways, ditches, creeks and ponds during the upcoming spring thaw.
The advisory came after firefighters responded to a 911 call Monday morning about a dog falling through the ice in the area of Heatherstone Crescent and Watters Road in Orléans. It was the eighth call they’d received of this nature since the beginning of 2016.
While the frequency of these types of emergencies this year is not unusual, firefighters wanted to underline the importance of waterway safety entering the spring — and the good practice among dog owners of contacting authorities if their pet is in peril.
The alternative, said Danielle Cardinal, Ottawa Fire Services’ public information officer, can lead to firefighters having to save both the pet and the owner.
“We know that dog owners will often want to rescue their animals and not take their (own) safety into consideration,” Cardinal said.
Cardinal urges dog owners and parents of small children to exercise extra caution until the spring thaw is over and there’s no longer any ice.
“We realize some dogs like to swim,” said Cardinal, “but in this case they’re getting trapped in ice or they’re not able to contend with water temperature, and, just like people, they get very lethargic when they get hypothermic.”
After the dog in Orléans was rescued Monday with the use of a fortuna — an inflatable device used to bring first responders safely onto the ice to the distressed person or animal — it was quickly wrapped in blankets to ensure a drop in its body temperature was not a risk. It was taken to a veterinary hospital as an extra precaution.
