Queen's Cowboys rescue drowning dog
By Trail Champion
On April 7, at 11:39 a.m., the Fraser Lake RCMP received a report of a dog that had fallen through the ice at a local pond. Officers immediately attended and learned that the dog had been in the water for almost an hour and wasn’t faring well. Police learned that the caller was not able to get anyone else to assist so finally called police.
“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,” said Detachment Commander Sgt. Jason Slater.
“We could see the dog struggling and knew it would not be long before she would perish from exhaustion and exposure to the elements. One of my guys, Const. Ray Dickenson, was already present and had obtained an old paddleboat and a Personal Flotation Device that was provided by the complainant.
“We tied a rope to the boat and Ray dragged it through the ice-filled waters using a large ice pick to where the dog was. 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, it’s just like winning the Grey Cup with the winning field goal in the last few seconds of the game.”
Once back on shore, officers were able to turn Josie, a six-month-old Burmese Mountain Dog over to her guardians, as the owners were out of town.
Dickinson added, “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.”
