Puppy rescued by RCMP after falling through icy water

Fraser Lake RCMP sprang into action Thursday morning to help rescue a puppy that had fallen through ice into a local pond.

Just before noon police learned that a dog had been in the water for almost an hour and wasn’t faring well. Officers learned that the caller was not able to find anyone else to assist in the rescue and finally called police for help. Josie, a six-month-old Burmese Mountain Dog was running out of time.

“When I arrived on scene, I could hear the dog whining for help and knew we didn’t have much time to react, but the biggest obstacle was; I had no idea how deep the water was. We could see the dog struggling and knew it would not be long before she would perish from exhaustion and exposure to the elements,” explained Commander Sgt. Jason Slater.

Cst. Ray Dickenson was already on scene when Slater arrived and managed to obtain an old paddle boat and personal flotation device. Working quickly, the officers tied a rope to the boat and Dickenson dragged it through the ice filled water using a large ice pick.

“His timing was impeccable because it appeared as soon as Ray reached the dog, she didn’t have any more fight left in her. It seems like we as police offers deal with a lot of bad stuff so to have one of those feel good moments unfold in front of you,” Slater said.

“The majority of individuals who become police officers will tell you that they became an officer so they can help people. Today was one of those days I will look back on and be able to cherish the memory of our success,” added Dickinson.

Once back on shore Josie, who was tired but happy to be back on solid ground, was reunited with her guardians as the owners were out of town.