Man rescued, dog missing after falling through Bow River ice

A Calgary man was taken to the hospital after falling through thin ice on the Bow River on Sunday morning, but his dog remains missing despite an extensive search.

Calgary Fire Department (CFD) crews were called to a section of the river near Bowmont Park in the city’s northwest around 11:50 a.m.

According to CFD spokesperson Alex Kwan, firefighters arrived to find two people out on the ice.

“One of them had been the owner of the dog,” Kwan explained. “Their dog had gone out on the ice into the water, possibly flipped under. They went to try to rescue their dog and ended up in the water themselves.”

A bystander who witnessed the incident helped pull the owner from the frigid water before emergency crews arrived. Firefighters then helped both individuals off the unstable ice.

Paramedics assessed the dog owner at the scene and transported him to hospital.

CFD’s aquatics rescue team searched the area and moved downstream in an effort to locate the missing dog, but were unable to find it.

The fire department is urging Calgarians to stay well back from riverbanks and to keep pets leashed near waterways.

“Any time of year, river ice is the most hazardous type of conditions on a body of water,” Kwan said. “If anybody sees somebody break through the ice, we want them to call 911 right away.”

Kwan added that river ice is especially unpredictable because water continues to flow beneath it, making it far less stable than it appears.