A Richmond animal control officer jumped into the bitterly cold north arm of the Fraser River to save a dog that had gotten loose from its owner.
Without a thought for his own safety, bylaw officer Steffan Zamzow ripped off his shirt Wednesday afternoon on River Road near the Richmond Night Market and waded into the river to save the husky cross, which was caught between two logs.
Moments earlier, fellow animal control officer Shane Burnham received a call that a dog was on the loose and running into traffic in Richmond.
Burnham and Melissa Franco, a volunteer at the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS), arrived at the scene, to find a Richmond Mountie already there.
“(The dog) was going into traffic, this animal was going 40/km an hour,” Franco told GlobalBC.
Zamzow was then called in to help, along with another RCMP officer, Maria Klokotzky.
The dog, a husky-cross, finally made his way down to River Road and the Richmond Night Market and all five people tried to corral him up the bank towards the van.
“We didn’t want him to go into the water but he was so scared,” said Franco.
The dog jumped into the water and was quickly caught between two logs.
“(Zamzow) just like ripped his shirt off and jumped into the water,” said Franco.
He was soon joined by RCMP officer Const. Alex Arias and Burnham and all three brought the dog safely back on to dry land.
“I was just like this has to go on the news because everyone came together and he’s shirtless,” added Franco.
They named the dog Alex after Arias. The dog did have an injury to his front paw but other than being tired, is going to be OK.
“The dog was just exhausted and he almost got killed like three times,” said Franco.
‘Alex’s’ real name is Altai and he’s a sled dog.
His French owners were traveling with him up to the Northwest Territories and he had only been in Canada for one day when he escaped. He has now been reunited with his owners and the other members of the 15-dog team that heading to the Northwest Territories.
With a file from GlobalBC
