Animals falling through thin ice rescued across Manitoba

As winter starts to stake claim on the Canadian Prairies, officials are reminding people to keep their pets away from bodies of water.

While some lakes, ponds and rivers are freezing, the ice is thin and there are still spots of open water.

And already this month there have been a few cold-water rescues — and some very lucky animals.

In Winnipeg, Manitoba, the city’s Fire Paramedic Service scooped up a dog from a semi-frozen pond last week.

“Dog owners are reminded to keep their dogs on leash around frozen waterways to prevent them from chasing geese onto the ice,” the city posted on Twitter, “Ice surfaces are thin and fragile, and falling into ice-cold water can be deadly.”

First responders saved a dog from a partially-frozen pond. City of Winnipeg/Twitter

Happily, the dog in this rescue was just fine.

Wild animals are also running into trouble.

In rural Manitoba, Mounties recently intervened to save a deer.

The animal had fallen through the ice near St. Jean Baptiste, just north of the U.S. border.

“The poor thing was initially scared of police,” the Manitoba RCMP reported on Twitter, “But after some coaxing, allowed an officer to carefully pull him to shore, where he was able to stand & run off.”

Photos City of Winnipeg/Twitter

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Recovering newspaper reporter.

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