Officials Warn Of Thin Ice After Dog & Owner Escape Freezing Lake
By Jeff Todd
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - An Arvada man and his dog were not injured after ending up in a mostly frozen lake Monday around dusk.
"It sounds like the dog had noticed some geese out on the water. The dog ran out and fell in the ice, and the owner went out and tried to save his own dog," said Lt. Derrick Varela, a spokesman for the Arvada Fire Protection District. "Water this cold, hypothermia can kick in really quick. It was very lucky of this citizen to get out on their own."
It happened at Pond Lake near Kipling Street and 86th Parkway. It was the first ice rescue call of the year for Varela and his shift, but it's something they've been training for since the weather turned cold months ago.
"We obviously want to train on ice that is like this, where there's some inconsistency. So we can get some real life experience so when an incident like this occurs we're trained and prepared," Varela said.
Temperatures are expected to fluctuate throughout the week causing ice to grow and shrink across the Front Range. Fire officials say to call 911 instead of following your pet onto ice or into cold water.
"If you're walking near big bodies of water I would say leave your animals on a leash so they can't get away from you and then you can have that control of your animal at all times," he said.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.