When Richmond Hill fire captain Dan St. John received a call about a dog stuck in a water retention pond, he knew that he and his team had to step into action fast. 

On March 6, Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services members were called to a pond off Cooperage Crescent after a dog fell through the ice 12 metres from the shore. The weather was crisp, with temperatures hovering above the freezing mark. When St. John arrived at Toll Bar Park, he said he directed his firefighters and other crews, and they all put on ice water rescue suits.

“There was about 15 feet of ice surrounding the edge of the pond and the rest was open water in the middle,” St. John said.

The dog was struggling to swim as firefighters spread out on the ice. 

“We [reached] the dog by the collar, and he was attached through a rope … so we hauled him back in and it was a happy ending,” he said.

St. John said the owner was quite ecstatic that we got the dog out so quickly. “[The dog] was shivering and he was OK. We got there in time,” he said.

St. John wants to remind owners to keep their pets leashed around waterways during this time of the year, and if your pet does fall through, call police immediately.