Two dogs who wound up trapped on a small island after falling through the ice at a Surrey lake Thursday morning have been rescued.
Concerned onlookers saw the husky-malamute crosses in distress at Green Timbers Lake at around 10:15 a.m. and called for the Surrey Fire Service’s water rescue unit.
“Ice had formed and I guess these two dogs walked out onto the middle of the lake,” said Assistant Fire Chief Joe DeLuca. “Witnesses said when the dogs tried to walk back, the ice fell through.”
Soaked in freezing cold water, the dogs swam to a nearby marshy, reed-covered island.
DeLuca said members used an inflatable boat to approach the island, then calmed the animals down with treats before carrying them to shore.
“These poor guys were pretty cold so they were blanketed right away by people from animal control,” DeLuca said.
It’s unclear where the animals’ owner was when they crashed through the ice, and neither dog has a license.
Until the owner comes forward, the dogs are being kept at a Surrey shelter.
DeLuca said the animals were in generally good health, and not suffering from malnourishment.
