Regina woman reunites dog with her owner after water rescue
Meg Brookes says she shares a special bond with her dog, Betty White.
“She’s my little shadow and follows me everywhere,” she said.
Brookes said that bond was almost taken away on Nov. 21 when Betty ran off her leash while out on a walk with Brookes’s husband in Regina. Brookes said a larger dog came along and frightened Betty, causing her to take off.
“She managed to wriggle out of her harness. I don’t quite know how, but she did and she started running, and she took off and there was no way you’re going to catch her,” she said.
Brookes and her husband went out looking for Betty in their cars. After turning up nothing, they returned home and hoped for a phone call.
Britt Heisler was on her way home from the gym when she spotted what looked like a “white creature” running down the road. It was Betty White.
Heisler said she immediately began trying to catch Betty, worried the dog would get hit by a car.
“I pulled over about a house in front of her the first time and tried to get her, but she ran right by me. Second time I decided to pull over a couple houses down, thinking I stood a better chance,” Heisler said.
A dog owner is thankful after a woman rescued her pet from a creek.
Heisler said she tried to catch Betty about five to six times but she was too fast. Eventually she tracked Betty to a nearby frozen creek, where Betty was in the water.
“I was worried, so the first thing I did was I ran to the first house to ask for help and asked the gentleman just to come out and help,”
Heisler said she didn’t know how deep the water was and if there was a current, but knew she had to go in after Betty.
She said the water was only waist deep. Heisler was able to punch through the ice to make a path and eventually pull the dog out.
“I understand the importance of calling for help, calling the professionals, but there was no time for that. She wouldn’t have made it,” she said.
Betty’s name and a phone number are on her dog tag. Heisler was able to use that information to reunite Betty and Brookes.
“If Britt had not come along when she did, we wouldn’t have seen Betty again,” Brookes said.
Regina Fire and Protective services said people should call 911 if they find themselves in a similar situation where they may have to walk out onto ice to ensure safety.
“We’ve had some unusually warm weather so we are seeing some varying ice depths,” said Gord Hewitt, deputy fire chief.
Brookes said the experience is still frightening to think about and wants to help other pet owners avoid these circumstances.
“One thing I would love pet owners to do is to keep their dogs on a leash,” she said. “You don’t know what they might do.”
