Fraser Lake, B.C.-  It was an unusual call  for the RCMP, a dog was in distress in  Fraser Lake.

Josie, a 6 month old Bernese Mountain Dog  had fallen through the ice  on a local pond.  No one else was  able to help the  man  looking after Josie, and  he didn’t know who else to  call,  so  he called the Fraser Lake detachment.

Officers  responded,  and learned Josie had been  in the water for  nearly  an hour,  and  she wasn’t  doing well.

When I arrived on scene, I could hear the dog whining for help and knew we didn’t have much time to react, but the biggest obstacle was; I had no idea how deep the water was” says  Fraser Lake Detachment Commander, Sgt. Jason Slater.
We could see the dog struggling and knew it would not be long before she would perish from exhaustion and exposure to the elements”.

Constable Ray Dickenson was  already on scene, and had rounded up a paddle boat and personal floatation device.

A rope was tied to  the  paddle boat,  and Cst. Diskenson  used a large  ice pick  to  move the paddle boat across the  ice to  Josie.

( at right, Cst Dickenson pulls Josie from the icy water – photos courtesy Fraser Lake RCMP)

” His timing was impeccable” says Sgt Slater, “it appeared as soon as Ray reached the dog, she didn’t have any more fight left in her.”

Constable Dickenson  pulled Josie on to the paddle boat and  Sgt. Slater  pulled them  back to  shore.

For Sergeant Slater,  it’s a moment he won’t soon forget “It seems like we as police offers deal with a lot of bad stuff so to have one of those feel good moments unfold in front of you, it’s just like winning the Grey Cup with the winning field goal in the last few seconds of the game.”

(at right, Josie makes it back to land)

The rescue was just as rewarding for Constable Dickenson The majority of individuals who become police officers will tell you that they became an officer so they can help people. Today was one of those days I will look back on and be able to cherish the memory of our success.