Ottawa firefighters respond to 4 ice rescues involving pets in one week

Warning about unsafe ice Ottawa fire crews have responded to four calls over the holidays for people and pets on unsafe ice. CTV's Shaun Vardon reports

Ottawa Fire Services have responded to 4 ice rescues involving pets since last week, officials reported on Tuesday.

The latest incident on Monday involved a golden retriever named Tika, who was pulled from the icy waters of the Ottawa River. The dog is said to be doing well.

No serious injuries were reported in the recent incidents, but Ottawa firefighters are reiterating calls for residents to stay off the ice and to keep pets on leash near icy waters.

On an average every year, the fire service says it come to the rescue of a person or someone's pet trapped on thin ice in the capital about 44 times.

Crews are highly trained on ice rescues and are dispersed across the city at strategic points ensuring a quick response, according to Ottawa deputy fire chief Louise Hine-Schmidt.

Typically, teams will walk out as a pair with a fortuna, a dual pontoon like device, where they can place it over the person to help pull them up. If the ice fails underneath them, they're still protected and have something to hold on to.

Hine-Schmidt says they have one piece of advice for anyone venturing near ice over water – no ice is safe ice.

"Especially now with theses fluctuating temperatures you need to stay off it entirely and the most important thing with pet rescues is don't go after your pet yourself," Hine-Schmidt said.

Officials say to call 911 if your pet or a person goes in the water.