And is subsequently punished for his efforts
Story taken from: The Globe and Mail
The sky was clear and sunny when 20-year-old Jon Lipinski and two of his friends spotted something disturbing in the water as they canoed on Lake Ontario Wednesday.
It was a golden retriever, swimming along the shoreline in Oakville, Ont. The dog had a leash trailing off his neck and appeared to be “tugging on something.”
The canoeists paddled in for a closer look. It wasn’t until they noticed two sneakers in the water that they realized something was terribly wrong.
A woman was floating facedown just feet away from the shore. The dog grasped her clothes with his teeth and appeared to be trying to drag her to safety.
“The dog was helpless … it did not want to leave its owner at all,” Mr. Lipinski said. “It was swimming back and forth around the body.”
Another one of the canoeists, Jonathan Kuronen, 20, said the dog was shivering and trying to pull himself up the rocks. They tried lifting the dog from the water but he was reluctant to leave his owner’s side.
“We had to physically pull it out. It could’ve drowned itself,” Mr. Kuronen said. “It kept looking back and looking at the owner.”
Halton police say the victim is a 66-year-old woman from Oakville who lives in the area where she was found. Police say their initial investigation suggests the woman was walking her dog when she slipped on some rocks and fell into the lake.
She was taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial hospital and pronounced dead at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, said Detective Sergeant Kevin Maher. An autopsy was performed yesterday and foul play has been ruled out.
The family has requested that police not release the victim’s name or any information about the dog.
“It’s a tragic, sad family situation,” said Det-Sgt. Maher. “It’s just a very sad accident.”
It is still unclear when the woman fell in the water, but the canoeists say they found her around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. At that time, the dog was already looking weak, as though he had “been in there for a while,” Mr. Lipinski said.
Mr. Kuronen said the canoeists didn’t touch the woman’s body because she already appeared dead and they didn’t want to disturb a potential crime scene.
They beached the canoe and brought the distraught dog to shore. No one had a cellphone so Mr. Lipinski went to a nearby house and the resident called police.
Mr. Lipinski said he wonders what might have happened had the three of them paddled by earlier.
“If we were 10 minutes earlier, maybe we would’ve seen her fall,” he said.
As for the woman’s dog, he is currently being cared for at the Oakville Humane Society, where he is “stressed” but “doing okay.”
“There obviously was a strong bond between them,” executive director Johanne Golder said of the dog and his owner. “That would be very stressful for an animal to be in that kind of situation.”
She said the family is currently coping with the tragedy and has asked the humane society to look after the dog for a few days.
For Katie Gallaway with the Canadian Golden Rescue Adoption Service, it comes as no surprise that the golden retriever tried to rescue his owner.
“They have a very strong instinct towards interpreting the situation they’re in and reacting on it,” she said. “The golden has that reputation for being your fireside gentle companion but they will swim to their death to rescue you if they have to.”
My comments:
Okay so where’s the animal cruelty in this story? It’s a great tragic story of heroic dog, right? Notice the paragraph I have underlined and bolded. Where is this dog right now as we speak? Sitting in a noisy kennel stressed out to the max because his whole life just took a major downturn for the worse. Not only did he lose his beloved mistress, not only was he unable to save her but for his efforts, he’s been tossed into the chaotic world of homeless animals! What the hell is that about? What is with this family?
Sure I understand their grief. I lost my mom 3 years ago too and I remember how devastated I was. But did I put her cat in the pound just because I had to deal with my mom’s death? Of course not! Chico was a life saviour for me and we brought each other comfort while we adapted to a world without Mom.
Sometimes I really despise people. If I could, I would walk up there and demand that somebody in that family get that poor dog out of that kennel right now and take him home. Give him the ton of love he deserves, a soft bed and some biscuits.
What are you thinking about people?
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I think it was the wording of the article. The dog was home with the family that same night…don’t believe every single word of any article unless you personally check it out.As the tragidy unfolded, the dog was taken to a shelter while they notified the family. Of course the dog was taken home and reunited with his family!!!
Oh is that right? And you know this how?
I know this because it was my mum and my dog.
This is so sad I lost my Cat after 10 years she died of cancer and it tore me apart. It was just me and her for 10 years. I’m deaf and she has alerted me so many times.
When she died I didn’t want another I could never replace Kitty. But 6 months later they brought me a kitty that was going to be put down if I didn’t take him. He was 1pond 5 ounces. I had to have him. He’s spoiled rotten and he’s now my best friend and I’d be lost without him. I’m 60 and it seems at 60 you start losing everyone. I pray that someone takes that wonderful dog and gives him a life he deserves.