Unwise: The woman lies on the ice as she tries to rescue the dogThis is the dramatic moment that a dog owner had to be rescued from a frozen river after plunging through broken ice while trying to rescue her panicked Labrador.
The dog became distressed when it fell through ice on the River Ribble at Brungerley Bridge, Clitheroe, just before midday on Sunday.
Ignoring the advice of bystanders, the woman lay down on her front and was edging towards the dog when she too fell through the ice.
Rescue: The man throws a dog's lead to the stricken woman and pulls her to safetyThe woman was rescued by her male companion who threw her a dog's lead and dragged her to safety.
The dog wandered off after the incident, seemingly unaware of the situation he had caused.
The pictures were taken by council worker Alice Woods, 25, who was walking with friends on the riverbank as the drama unfolded, and called the fire service to help with the rescue.
'I honestly thought I was watching someone going to die,' said Miss Wood.
'It was a scene of panic.
'The dog fell in through a thin piece of ice and was really struggling and whimpering. It was quite horrible to see it like that.
Happy ending: As the woman clambers to safety the dog wanders off, seemingly unperturbed'We were all shouting for her not to go after the dog, but she didn’t listen and lay on her front, edging her way closer to the dog.
'Then, as expected, the ice gave way under her and she went straight under water.
'Straight away she stopped going after the dog and started to try to get herself out, but the ice kept breaking as she tried to pull herself out.
'Eventually the man she was with threw her the dog’s lead and pulled her out.
'This area of river always freezes over and I have seen many people walking on it.
'This could have been much, much worse. The woman could have died.
'It’s very dangerous, even if the ice is quite thick, because you never know how it will hold out.'
Last month in Lancaster Philip Smith, 49,a father-of-two, died after falling the River Lune trying to rescue his cocker spaniel Harry.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said the woman was wrong to try and rescue the dog, saying: 'If a dog ends up in the water, then however hard it may be, do not go onto the ice as you will be putting your life at risk as well as the dog.'
source: dailymail
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