Losing your dog is every dog owner's worst nightmare, but over the weekend a daring rescue reunited a lost pup with his family.
Video posted on social media details the rescue as a local rescue group Ground Search and Rescue KW, managed to track, find and help pull a 90lbs dog from the edge of frigid water on the Grand River.
After receiving a call late Friday night about a missing dog named Frankie, the group put out word on the Facebook page that currently has over 26,000 followers.
"We started to get reports of sightings of seeing a big black dog on the ice and knew we had to get out there to save her," said Kathryna Burtenshaw, co-founder and president of Ground Search and Rescue KW. "To a dog it looks completely frozen and like ground, but unfortunately that's not the case."
The volunteers went out in the cold and found bloody paw prints that seemed to match Frankie's. Following them closely, they managed to spot the dog before she took off once again.
"We were out the next day putting up posters and got reports of a big black dog on the ice and that put us into a mass panic," said Burtenshaw. "We were able to locate her near the golf course there and then she got spooked."
With 11 volunteers out in full force the team was able to find her, but then Frankie tried to escape. She slipped down the embankment and fell dangerously close to the water.
This is when the rescue group called the Cambridge Fire Department who is better equipped to handle a situation like this.
When CFD showed up, Burtenshaw recalls letting out a sigh of relief, knowing that they were going to help bring this dog home.
"They came out and managed to get control of her, but she's a 90 pound dog, it's not as easy as pulling her up onto high ground," she added.
"They went and got their boat and I've never seen anything like this, they really saved this dog's life."
Having just tested their fan boat on the same section of the Grand River in Galt on Friday, CFD came prepared to put their training to use and help save Frankie.
Having been out in the cold, bloody and almost falling through the ice of the Grand River, Frankie was reunited with her family late Saturday evening.
"I've been doing this a long time and I have to say this is one of the most amazing rescues I've ever been a part of," said Burtenshaw. "I have to give the biggest shout-out to the fire department, we would not have been able to do this without you."
Ground Search and Rescue KW is always looking for volunteers as they get into one of their busiest times of the year.
If anyone is interested in volunteering or donating, please visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
