ShreyaWith the kinds of crimes committed in the world, humans have started losing hope in their own race. The large-scale deaths that occur because of bombings, terror attacks, murders, and assassinations can make up for a really depressing news. But on one hand, where no one blinks an eye when they get to know about the chemical attacks on children, there are those people who help keep a little amount of hope in humanity alive. It goes to show someone’s humanity and fearless nature when one puts their life in danger for their fellow human beings. But there are people who believe that every life counts, be it of humans or animals.
We have heard stories of people putting themselves in tricky positions to take care of their pets and to save them from a dangerous situation. But today, we got to know about this woman who put her life under threat for an animal which was not even her pet. She did not know if the animal will survive but she tried to save it nonetheless. When everyone stood by watching, she did the bravest thing.
Winter, Had Come
Canada enjoys four distinct seasons but winters can be really harsh and unforgiving when it comes. At some place, temperatures drop as low as -15 degrees Celcius and with cold winter winds blowing it can drop lower. Not everyone stays snuggled up in their houses though. People go out to enjoy snowfall and this is the perfect time for kids to go out skating on frozen lakes and roads covered completely with snow. However, it can be really dangerous… especially skating on a frozen lake. The ice spread on a lake is not usually uniform and a lot of unfortunate incidents have been registered because of people falling and even downing in water when thin ice breaks. It is an accident no one can see coming and that is exactly what happened in this case.
Trout Lake, Vancouver
One of the lake which freezes in the winter in Vancouver is the Trout Lake. Dipping temperatures slowly freeze out the entire lake and it is supposed to become ideal for skating and walking by February. But this year Vancouver Park Board had informed the citizens that bodies of water in Vancouver, Trout Lake included, were “nowhere close to ready for pond skating”. It was not really a welcome news for the residents as exactly that time last year people could already skate and walk around on it. But that did not discourage people to go out and hang around the lake. People even took their pets along but forgot to take the Board’s warning seriously and that proved unfortunate for some.
What Was Different This Year
This image is from 2 years ago, January when people were out on the Trout Lake, having a good time, skating and even playing ice hockey. It looks lively. But this year authorities had warned that even in February Lakes were not safe for skating. The most obvious reason for this is Global Warming. The average temperature of the earth is increasing every year and that is why in 2018, the Lake was not safe when it was in 2016. It is one of the most visible effects of this slowly but a massively growing problem of deforestation. People should take the warnings of the authorities seriously because they make statements after assessing the weather conditions for the month. If they tell you to not venture on the thin iced lake, you should not. But not every creature is aware of what can go wrong with them.
Doggies’ Day Out
Like I said before, people knew that venturing near Trout Lake was dangerous but that did not stop them from going out. Every day a group of dog owners and lovers gathered there, making it their hangout place and giving their dogs a chance to play with each other as well as the snow and ice. They were cautious themselves to not go too far on the frozen lake. But we know dogs. They just love walking and running and goofing around. And that’s what they were doing on the lake. They were playing around with each other. Going right in the middle of the frozen river also. One of the dog owners there was recording a video of his dog when he saw a terrible thing happen which too, got recorded.
What Ben West Recorded
Ben West, along with his partner and his dog had gone to the park near the Trout Lake where other dog owners had gathered with their dogs too. He was recording his dog’s shenanigans as usual on his phone as he had just been playing with another dog named Tessa, right in the middle of the lake. Ben’s dog was returning to him when his camera recorded an unbelievable mishap. In an interview, Ben was recorded saying, “It was definitely not what we were expecting when we went out for a walk this morning.” The entire video has been attached for you to view in the next slides.
“Oh, My God…” 
These are the first words that escaped, Environment Specialist Ben West’s mouth when he realized what had happened. See the dog in the picture? Her name is Tessa, just a couple of minutes before the tragedy struck, she was playing gayly with Ben’s dog. She was hopping around on the ice and this is what Ben said about it, “We saw this dog out on the ice,” he continued, “It had just been playing with our dog before. I was a little concerned, but just kinda hoping it would walk across to the other side.” The dog’s owner was not paying much attention to her probably because they thought they she was alright, they obviously miscalculated the entire situation. What was supposed to be a fun outing, became a nightmare.