It was a nerve-racking Tuesday morning for a dog owner and her pet.

The woman and her dog, Bella, were walking in Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park in south Edmonton near the North Saskatchewan River.

Bella was off-leash and ran onto a frozen section of the river. Bella ended up falling into the icy river.

The canine treaded water as a rescue team was called. When the rescue arrived, crew members worked quickly to set-up equipment and attempt a rescue.

In matter of about four minutes, two members of the rescue team made their way to Bella on a raft. They managed to pull Bella out. She appeared cold, but otherwise in good shape.

“It's part of the job,” says Cpt. Terry Letcher, with Edmonton Fire Rescue, “but you also feel good when something like this turns out this way. We see a lot of bad stuff on our job so when we get a happy event like this, it's quite good.”
One of the rescuers, Chris Nielsen, couldn’t agree more.
“It feels good when you do something that helps others.”