http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336450/Dog-owner-falls-ice-frozen-river-rescuing-Labrador-Clitheroe.html

I think i would

What an awful situation it would be impossible to stand by and do nothing

I wouldn't be in the situation to let my girls near water where it was iced over to be honest :-)

Well i did wonder why they let the dog on the ice in the first place, i am frightened to death of water never mind iced over water!

The newspaper quote made me smile
"The dog wandered off after the incident, seemingly unaware of the situation he had caused. "

And somebody commented making me smile even more lol
Thats because its a DOG with the instict to survive and the means to get out of the ice etc. While the Human doesn't seem to have any brains what so ever.

Yep I would def go in to save my dog/s.

I couldnt live with myself if I stood by and did nothing......I would do the same for my daughter, it goes without saying, mad maybe, but def yes.

yes,without hesitation.

No I couldn't do that to my family.  How would your children, husband, parents, family feel if you lost your life in that way which has happened to many people?  My parents have lost one child and although I love my dogs more than anything else in my life (except for my parents) I could not do that to them.

I must admit though I have been tempted in the past to go into water when one of my dogs was struggling, luckily she was fine!

My brother is in the fire service, they were called out to a water rescue. Too late to save a man though that had went into a fast flowing river after his dog. While they were doing cpr on the river bank the dog came back looking for it's owner, it had climbed out further down the river. The police took the dog went to the cat and dog home as the man had lived alone with it, don't know if it was rehomed or put to sleep but certainly it's owner didn't do it (or himself) any favours.

It's a fact that dogs almost always get out of tricky situations like that but owners often drown. I'd like to think that I wouldn't risk my own life for my dog, if nothing else who would look after the rest of the pack?

If you were walking along a river/ icy pond and a child was in difficulty would you go in?

The couple should never have put themselves in that position. :-( I never let my girl near frozen water ever, I always take a different route, so I just wouldn't be in a situation like that, I often change our walks to weather conditions.

I do this for good reason because I think in situations like this it is easy for us to say we wouldn't take that risk, that we would think of our life, our families, children left without a parent, that it is not worth the risk and that if a dog can't get out we have even less of a chance of doing so. All those things are true, but I think it is one of those horrible situations that none of us could really say we would or wouldn't attempt a rescue,  because the alternative is to perhaps watch your dog die, crying, yelping and splashing around for help, a terrible image and a terrible weight of guilt whilst you stand there rationalising why you won't help.

I think any of us may crack in that situation and do the stupid but 'what feels right' thing.

I think it is just best to avoid that chance of stupidity all together.

If you were walking along a river/ icy pond and a child was in difficulty would you go in?
I think i would as its a human life and i think we all know the chances of a person getting out of a lake by themselves is next to zero versus a dog, it would be a case of if i don't who will?

> If you were walking along a river/ icy pond and a child was in difficulty would you go in?

I'd like to think I'd do the best for them, that may be calling the emergency services and meeting them at the nearest road to direct them down. It may be talking to them and keeping them calm or it may be actually going in for them, but only if I thought that was possible.

Sitting in the comfort of my home, with my warm dogs around me I can think logically about it, in the panic of the moment I may do something stupid (it's not unheard of!).

Although I know it is the wrong thing to do, I am sure I would go in after my dog if it was drowning. Having said that, I always put her on the lead as we pass the reservoirs if they are frozen. 

> I wouldn't be in the situation to let my girls near water where it was iced over to be honest

I agree, I was arranging to go for a walk with my friend, who doesnt have a dog, she suggested the canal but I was worried it might be frozen so we are going to the forest instead. 

I know in the heat of the moment if something happened I would go in after them so best to avoid it altogether.

Yes, I would not let mine offlead near frozen water. I know the advice is to stay clear as the dog often does get itself out. But I doubt I would be able to stop myself trying to help if one of my dogs, or even another dog, was in trouble. I know I didn't think twice when Ellie fell in the (unfrozen) canal on a boat trip once, luckily I didn't have to jump in as she was close to the edge so I could just pull her out, but I would have jumped in without a second thought if I'd needed to.

I think I would or at the very least Colin would, but 9 times out of 10 the dog gets out anyway.

I dont go near ice either.

Wasn't there a case in the last year/18 months where a woman went in to try to save the dog, she then got into trouble, her husband went in after her, leaving their baby in it's buggy on the river bank. Can't remember the outcome, I seem to recall the dog was fine, but that both parents perished, but my memory may be sensationalising!

Sorry but I wouldn't go in. A dog lives only a short period of time relative to our lives and I have family. I couldn't leave my family and other dogs without me around. As others have said, most of the time the dog will get out anyway.

This one just over a week ago. Man dies, dog survives.

2 young lads died last month, the dog was fine.

Back in January a woman dies after falling through ice to rescue her dog. The dog made it safely to the bank.

In this case the dog gets out and returns to the B&B while they are still dragging the woman out the river, the man never made it :-(

There are countless more stories where humans die and the dogs are fine. Don't do it :-)

> I think i would <IMG alt=eek src="/images/eek.gif">

I'm sure my instict would be to go in after my dog, as silly as that may be, but in a situation like that you are working on snap-desicions, not logically thought out ones.
HOWEVER, while walking a dog it is easy to notice dangers before a situation arises and avoid them with a calm, logical mind so my dog would never be in that situation.

I wont even walk him on an icy pavement as I deem the risk of him slipping & injuring a leg too hig, so there is NO WAY on this earth that I would allow my dog to be ON or near to an icy lake. In this weather I don't even allow him to get close to the 2 inch deep stream we pass, as it has steep sides and I worry he might slip in on the frost ground, injuring himself in the fall.......

Why would anybody allow thier dog to wander on an iced-over lake?

As much as it would hurt to see one of my dogs in trouble, i wouldnt go in after them. I couldnt do that to my son. Even if i saw a child in difficulties, i would do all i could but i would not go in after them- unless, of course it was my own child.

I don't think I would ever be in this kind of situation but I know I would find it extremely difficult to resist going in to save them.
I read on another forum a few weeks ago about a couple whose dog got into trouble in a river - the man tried to rescue him but had to give up when it got too dangerous. Sadly the dog never made it and I don't think they ever found his body.....really sad.

At Christmas, 1996 or 1997, a couple died trying to rescue their lab from a frozen lake.    The dog got out on his own - the wife (who worked at the same firm as I did) died on her way to hospital after suffering hypothermia.  Her husband's body was recovered from the lake some 12 or so hours later.   I think that the dog was rehoused as neither of their children had the heart to keep him afterwards.   So very, very sad :(

No I wouldn't and I have drummed into my girls that they mustn't . Most times the dog gets out and the human dies. I have always said the same re fire but we once had electricity arcing from the walls in the house with sparks coming out of the walls. I was told to get well away from the house so I got girls up put them in the car, drove it down the street but then walked back and got the dogs out so I guess I didn't follow my own advice

Much as i'd want to, it would have to be no if the water was freezing or if it were the sea and too rough!!

We've recently had water safety training at work and after being shown footage and talked to by those who do sea and water rescue as their job they say don't do it for a dog. As for people you have to know your own strengths and if you honestly know that you aren't strong enough or its too much in the water then you are then going to have potentially 2 people struggling not just the 1.

I think you need to assess the water, temperature, location and tide..So many things come into play here.. I know my limitations.