Dogs fall through the ice on river
Just one week after Jarvis the cocker spaniel fell through the ice in Manchester, another two dogs, also cocker spaniels, have been rescued by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service after they fell through the ice on a river in Portsmouth.
Linda Collins took her two dogs for a walk (Jarvis and Chino) when Jasper fell through the ice, and was closely followed by Chino, who dived in to rescue his friend. Linda phoned 999 and asked for the fire department, who advised Linda to stay away from the water, unlike Marc Greenhalgh from Manchester who dived after his dog on New Year’s Day.
Steve Williams, a dog walker who exercises dogs from Portsmouth Dog Kennels, happened past and helped Linda by wading in after her dogs, against the advice Linda had just received from the fire department.
Steve explained how he broke the ice.
The ice was an inch or more thick, so I had to use my elbows to break through to reach the dogs.
Steve rescued the dogs in time for the fire service to arrive and help him recover from the cold. The dogs were rushed to a vet. Both the dogs and Steve recovered well, against the advice of the fire service.
Kevin Oxlade, spokesperson for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, stated:
It is important to remember that entering cold or frozen water can be extremely dangerous. Mr Williams received full naval training in cold water whilst serving on HMS Endurance in the North Pole with the Royal Navy and therefore felt confident in entering the water. However, cold water quickly saps your strength and even strong, able swimmers could find themselves in trouble.
