Ottawa Fire Crews Rescue Three People And Two Dogs On Rideau River This Week

2 min read March 31, 2022

By Charlie Senack, Manotick Messenger

It’s been a busy week for Ottawa Fire crews who have responded to a number of calls near the shoreline in Manotick.

On March 21, two men and a dog were rescued from the Rideau River near South River Drive. The dog ran out onto the ice, and two men, ages 25 and 55, quickly followed.

They both became trapped in the frigid fast moving waters, and while conscious, were unable to get themselves out. The pair was rescued by around 5:15 pm that evening, less than 20 minutes after emergency crews arrived. The dog however remained on the piece of ice which broke free and began flowing down the river.

Firefighters had to board a boat in order to safely reach the dog, who was later brought back to shore.

Ottawa Paramedics said both men were taken to hospital and treated for mild hypothermia.

After the two men were saved, a piece of ice broke away and started flowing down the river, with the dog sitting on top. (Ottawa Fire)

Then on March 31, emergency crews received a call around 12:30 pm saying a young boy and his dog had fallen down an embankment at Beryl Gaffney Park and were unable to get back up.

When fire crews arrived near the shoreline about five minutes later, the boy had already made it back up to land, however his dog remained trapped.

“The dog, named “Medo” who was a 100 pound Bouvier, was at the bottom of the 45 degree embankment and due to the heavy mud and the steep angle was unable to get back up,” Ottawa Fire Services said in a statement. “The concern was that there was fast moving water at the bottom of the embankment and that the dog would try and run up and fall back down the hill into the water.”

With the help of two rope rescue technicians, the dog was able to be transported up the embankment in a harness. Both the dog and the boy are ok.

As the weather warms up, there has been an increase in calls for assistance around waterways. Ottawa Fire is reminding everyone that it’s not safe to walk out on any ice surface at this time of year, and to be careful around any embankments. If an animal does break away and is put in a dangerous situation, they encourage people to call them for assistance.