Andrea Rosebrock 
Three canoeists on Lake Ontario spotted a dog along the shoreline in Oakville, Ontario. The dog had a leash trailing off his neck and appeared to be “tugging on something.”
They found a woman floating facedown near the shore and the dog was trying to pull her to safety with his teeth. The canoeists pulled the dog out of the water and called the police.
The victim is a 66-year-old woman from Oakville who lives in the area. It was suggested that the woman was walking her dog, slipped on some rocks and fell into the lake. She was pronounced dead when taken to the hospital.
The family of the woman requested she and her dog not be identified. They’ve asked the Oakville Humane Society to care for the dog (a golden retriever) for a few days while they try and cope with the tragedy.
The three boaters are also trying to cope with this tragedy. They are wondering if they had only been 10 minutes earlier, they might have saved the woman. They were also moved by the dog’s untiring will to save his owner.
Katie Gallaway of the Canadian Golden Rescue Adoption Service had this to say:
“They have a very strong instinct towards interpreting the situation they’re in and reacting on it,” she said. “The golden has that reputation for being your fireside gentle companion but they will swim to their death to rescue you if they have to.” The Globe and Mail News
To the death. This is all a dog knows when they are loved. They return this love through thick and thin – to the death. That’s the deal dogs make with humans. You love me, I die for you. Plain and simple.
Okay this is a heroic dog story for sure but what I really don’t like about this is the family condemning the dog to the kennels for a few days while they figure out what they’re going to do with him. How’s that for a reward for trying your damnest to save your mistress? Surely to god someone could take him home and help him to recover from this stressful situation. He’s lost his mistress, he couldn’t save her and now he sits in a cage.
Damn I hate people sometimes!
I know what you mean Cher. I am trying to have sympathy for the family and I do but to stick the dog in a kennel, a dog that tried desperately to save his mistress, is heartless. The poor baby is probably sitting there, grieving, wondering what he did wrong. It really is heartbreaking and will be even more so if the family decides to surrender or dump him. Too many people just do not realize that dogs are thinking, feeling and loving creatures and very sensitive and intuitive.
D.
isn’t that the truth? doesn’t the family know that this heroic dog is also grieving? i wonder what’s gonna happen after they’ve “dealt” with the woman’s death….that dog did all he could 2 pull her out n “they” stick him in a cage……
Cher, I think that they were just wanting the dear baby cared for while they dealt with their grief. True they are wrong by not including this baby. She or he will be grieving to. They may not be dog people and fail to understand, lets hope if this is the case that someone clues them in.
Damn, I hate people all the time : (
This poor dog..How could they!!! I hope he is adopted out to someone who has a heart.I know they are in pain but they don’t realize he is too!SOME PEOPLE DON’T GET IT!!!He deserves so much more than this
It’s breaking my heart to think of him condemned to a shelter while they “cope with the tragedy”? The dog has suffered as much as they have. How heartless is that? He should have been taken their home, hugged, loved, given treats and a warm bed. I picture our precious golden from years ago, Judge, who would have laid down his life for us as well. Humans sicken me sometimes. Clearly those people don’t deserve him. Look at him looking up with trusting, but questioning eyes at the officer? OMG.
Such a brave dog and yet look where he/she ends up.A cage while the family grieves & deals with this!!IDIOTS!!Yes grieve but this poor hero dog was there,witnessed it and did everything possible to save this woman.Get that dog out f the shelter and hug and kiss him and offer your thanks.Poor baby.poor sweet confused brave baby.
Lets hope that the personnel at the shelter will hold this baby with the love and compassion that he/she deserves and that the relatives won’t take to long to wake up.
The retriever is now in the care of the Oakville and District Humane Society for a few days while the woman’s family copes with the tragedy.
Sometimes I don’t understand people at all. In moments of grief and pain, is there any greater comfort than a loving dog to lick away every tear and listen long after others have moved on?
May this beautiful dog receive the comfort and unconditional love which it deserves
You can always count of the loyalty of a dog, people are an entirely different matter. “Their” tragedy. How about the woman who likely dearly loved and treasured this “hero” and now looks down from above and sees how poorly her family memorializes her. Heck, all they are thinking about is themselves.
I hope this a a great shelter with loving volunteers who will see to it that this grieving soul gets love, comfort, companionship and wonderful loving home. I guess the poor “family” has never heard of a dog sitter, pet motel or one of the wonderful Camp Bow Wow facilities. If they cannot or will not take this hero in, these other places would see to it that love, comfort, activity, companionship and a warm bed would be there. Grieving family my foot, more like self centered jerks.
I am sure the poor woman who can’t speak for her dog now is slapping the clouds in disgust at the “grieving family’s” decision NOT to bring this loyal dog home right away, and not make him suffer any more trauma, losing his guardian, almost drowning himself. People stink…I just hope to hell the family is ready to care for this dog in the same loving manner in which their dead loved one did. How tacky of them. Grieving or not….I fear they are not animal people at all.
I too can relate to the loyalty our furbabies give us. I probably would not be around if it had not been for my middle baby. The poor lady who died probably loved that dog more than anything in the world, and the dog had shown his unconditional love for his mistress. The “family” – and I cannot even call them that, are all selfish in my eyes for what they have done by sending this dog to a shelter “while they greive”. This poor dog tried his damndest to save his mistress, and is probably greiving more than the “family”.
Our babies have feelings, more than the human species, and this family better wake up and think about the pup instead of thinking of themselves.
Thank God my kids know that if anything happens to my husband and I, that the first thing they better do is take care of the dogs. They know how we feel about the boys, and how they are treated, and they are treated as a family member – not just “a dog”.
i no exactly what u mean susie, my furbaby is a cat, shes my beautiful fluffy only child and id do anything for her. shes the only reason im still here. always there to comfort me when im sad and love me when no one else cares.. i dont understand how anyone could not see the unconditional bond between furrybubbas and their parents. and u no what, if i could id take the lil bubby in and look after him/her the way it deserves. its not fair that family is soo selfish sumtimes. im soo glad im lucky enough to know that if anything happened to me my cat wud b looked after by my brother and his fiancee. i hope he finds the proper loving home he deserves.
DAM IF I WORKED AT THAT SHELTER THAT POOR BABY WOULD BE IN MY HOME NOT IN A BLOODY CAGE,BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TAKEN HER?HIM INTO MY OWN HOME & GAVE HER/HIM LOTS OF LOVE & CARE. PLEASE SOMEONE EXPLAINE TO THIS FAMILY HOW DOGS HAVE FEELINGS TOO.
What the hell!!! This poor dog too has lost its owner but yet the family wants some one else to care for the dog while they deal with things. How about what the poor dog is feeling?? He helped bring her to shore!!! I say what the selfish family is doing is cleaning out the house and dumping the dog. Shame on this family. Help the dog thru this the family seem to have problems of selfishness. Maybe the family needs to be in a cage!!!
No bloody wonder the family of this poor woman requested to not be identified. May this hero find a forever home where his devotion will be valued.
i am ashamed to be Canadian, if anyone has any further updates please send them so that I can look to see if this poor guy is till in the shelter
Oh Franc, no need to feel ashamed to be Canadian. I am sure we Americans have disgraced the world by their actions in the unethical treatment of animals.
It is the family of this deceased woman who should be ashamed of themselves. Not you dear.
I am crying omg poor sweet soullost his dear caretaker, pleas keep us informed as to how it turns out. thank you
Deanna do we have an update on the final outcome to this story? It’s remained in my head and I really need to know…
Actually I do and meant to post it a while back, sorry. The dog was in the shelter overnight and his family picked him up the next day and took him home. I found out weeks later thanks to one of my readers so it is a good ending for the dog.
D.
Wow. What a moving story.
Really demonstrates how dedicated dogs are to the people they love.
Wow.
I really don’t know what else to say.
Thanks for sharing….
-Alice