When dog Freddie got stuck in the frigid water, the brave dog walker had to squeak over the frozen pond to get him, as seen by Alice Wardill.
Ms. Wardill, 78, was out for a walk at Connaught Water in Chingford, Essex, when she noticed the daring dog walker. On January 27, the retired insurance clerk from Harlow was visiting with her 80-year-old husband Peter and 56-year-old crippled son Paul.
Ms. Wardill reported: “Around 12 o’clock, we were as usual by Connaught Water when we heard a woman yell, “No, Freddie!”
“The dog jumped onto the ice and then tumbled into the melted water. We were beginning to lose hope that he would escape when we noticed her stumbling on the ice, first on her front and then moving to her knees. I couldn’t watch for a while because I was afraid she would trip.”
She pulled the dog by his collar and crept back to safety as he was writhing about. She was quite courageous, and Freddie had good luck because she caught him soon.
“If she hadn’t saved him, he would have perished due to the extreme cold. She was in the center of the ice, so I don’t know if she was foolish or brave.”
According to Ms. Wardill, the woman had already gotten into her car and driven Freddie home before the fire department showed up.
“I would have loved for her to have seen my images, but she claimed it was too chilly for her to look at them.”
