Last week the Airdrie Fire Department responded to a service call.
 
The service call came in around 8:19 A.M. on December 2nd, regarding a dog that had fallen through the ice, unable to get out of the water.
 
"Our veteran station was heading over there and when they were on the way, they were told that a dog had fallen through the ice, on one of the canals," said Acting Deputy Chief Mike Pirie of the Airdrie Fire Department. " When they got there, there was a dog about 20 meters out from the shoreline."
 
The incident happened at 1100 block of Channelside Drive SW.
 
Pirie said that rescue crews were able to the get dog out of the water and bring it back to its owner who was on the shoreline.
 
"[The owner] then was able to take the animal into a home warm it up and it appeared to be okay when rescue crews left," he said. 
 
Pirie stated that calls like this happen most often during the fall during the formation of ice and then in the spring during the thaws. He said that due to the ice being unpredictable, it is particularly dangerous. 
 
"We want to be really clear; stay off the ice period. If it's not designed to be skated on like an ice rink we want to stay off of it," Pirie said. "As far as dogs go, they need to be on a leash and they need to be off the ice. The same rules that apply to children should apply to animals. That's the best and the safest thing they [dog owners] can do: just keep your animals off the ice."
 
If one's pet does end up running onto the ice and gets trapped, Pirie said that the first priority should be to call 9-11.
 
"Our crews are all trained in ice rescue and they'll actually have the suits on before they even arrive and be able to act very quickly; So good information, early notification, a 911 call and avoid becoming a victim themselves," he said.
 

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