[Charlene1963]

Yesterday for Ziggy's 1st birthday we drove into town where there is an off-leash park with trails around the lake. Ziggy loves to go off-leash and there is no place near us to do this.

The walk was going well when he spotted two ducks on the ice near shore and decided to chase them. We are in the middle of a thaw and the ice on the lake is thin with holes in spots.

He took off across the ice chasing the ducks and wouldn't come when I called him. I lost it fearing that at any moment he would go through a hole in the ice. My husband, thankfully, stayed calm. He told me after that he's canoed that area and the water is shallow there;he felt he could wade out and retrieve Ziggy if he got into trouble. Luckily, after the longest two minutes of my life, he ran back towards shore where he did fall through the ice but was able to save himself and get back on shore.

He was cold and wet and totally unaware of what could have happened. I cried and shook for the next hour.

A lesson learned for me. Last year a woman here drowned in the same situation while trying to rescue her golden lab. The dog made it back to shore-she didn't.

Thanks for listening-I needed to share that story with people who understand the depth of our love for these precious babies.