Yellowknife man plunges through lake ice to save his dog

Don Pittman said he was "humming and hawing" about whether to take his dogs out on Yellowknife Bay for one last time this week.

The ice looked "pretty solid" and he said he remembered seeing some snowmobiles on it over the weekend. His dogs,Barachois and Curwibble,pooch sisters,loved running and rolling around in the snow on the frozen lake.

"So I figured, what the heck, we'll do one last time." Pittman said it was a "spur of the moment" decision mid-walk. And off they went.

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All of a sudden, Curwibble abrown, shepherd-like dog came running back alone, trying to get Pittman's attention. She then quickly ran awaytowardabobbing head and flailing paws some couple of hundred metres away.

The 70-poundBarachois had fallen through the ice.

"I sprinted back towards her," said Pittman. "Just wanted to get to her as quickly as I could."

When he got close, he got down to his stomach and crawled towardher to spread his weight out. Barachois was trying to make her way towardPittman, he said, moving the water and breaking the ice in the process.

"And it all just went at the same time," said Pittman. "Boom. I was in the water."

Pittmansaid that thanks to adrenaline, determination and a series of "analytical" moves, he was able to pull himself up after reachingstronger ice.

He said he was calm, but afraid adding that falling through ice was "very much a nightmare scenario for me."

Eventually, Barachois was able to swim over tothe drenched Pittman.

"I was just able to grab her collar and pull her back out and we got the heck out of there."

Pittman saidhe's been in apology mode and the dogs have been receiving plenty of treats over the past few days.

"I kinda got down and gave her a hug and gave Curwibble a hug for letting me know that Barachois was in trouble."

Pittman warns other dog walkersand frozen lake aficionados of deceiving ice conditions this time of the year.

"Conditions change fast and I wasn't prepared for that," he said. "I put my dogs at risk. I'm still beating myself up about that."

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