Staffordshire Fire Service asking dog walkers to keep dogs on leads by canals during the winter freeze

Man Enters Freezing Canal Despite Warnings

A man in his 30s risked his life this afternoon after entering the canal off Shelton New Road to rescue a Boxer dog which had fallen through the ice.
Firefighters received a call at 2pm to report that a dog had fallen through some ice and crews from Hanley and Newcastle were called to the scene. However, on arrival, crews found that the dog was out of the water after a member of the public had waded in waist deep to rescue it.

Station Manager, David Agu said: “We received a call reporting a dog falling through some ice so firefighters attended to safely rescue the dog. However on arrival we found that a member of the public had gone into the freezing water and rescued the dog himself, despite our warnings so far this week to never enter water yourself in these conditions.

“We called an ambulance for the man as a precautionary measure, given the freezing temperature of the water, and although we appreciate this man was just trying to help the dog we would once again like to reiterate the seriousness of entering freezing water.

“This could have ended up with us needing to rescue both the man and the dog from the water and the man could have been seriously hurt. If anyone does see an animal or person trapped in water then please, do the right thing and call us immediately then stay away from the water. We will come and deal with it ourselves with our specialist equipment and trained firefighters - never enter the water yourself.”

The owner of the dog was not around at the time of the incident, however arrived just before crews left at 2.30pm. The Service is urging members of the public to ensure dogs are kept on leads when they are near water.