A Winnipeg man is dead after rushing into a pond to try to save his dog.

It happened Monday night at King’s Park in the city’s south end. The park is popular with dog owners, as is the stormwater retention pond where the dog was seen in distress.

Winnipeg police say the man may not have realized the depth of the water when he decided to enter it.

“There is this misunderstanding that the retention ponds may be shallow,” Const. Tammy Skrabek told reporters.

Two bystanders jumped into the pond and pulled the man out. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he later died in hospital.

Linda Toderan showed up at the park after the bystanders had removed the man from the water.

“It was very traumatizing,” she told CTV Winnipeg.

Toderan said she helped console the man’s wife and search for the dog. The volunteer searchers were unable to find the dog, Smokey, who Skrabek said was trapped in “very thick reeds and soft mud” below the surface.

Relatives of the man found Smokey in the water Tuesday morning.

The park contains multiple signs warning people against wading, swimming and other activities in the pond.

Despite the tragedy, Toderan said she understood why the man would have gone into the pond to try to find his pet.

“If it was my dog, I probably would have done the same thing,” she said.

The name of the man who drowned has not been made public. He is 58 years old and is believed to have been married recently.

One of the bystanders who pulled the man from the water was taken to hospital and listed in stable condition, police said Tuesday.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Jeff Keele