'So courageous': Owner says coast guard in Hay River, N.W.T., saved 2 dogs that fell through thin ice

Lynda Blair says when she saw her two Great Dane dogs had fallen through thin ice and were struggling to stay afloat in a narrow channel in the Hay River, she expected the worst.

"Both dogs were in the water. It was ice and they both had a little hole they were stuck in, where they had fallen through," Blair said.

She says if it wasn't for three men at the Canadian Coast Guard base nearby, Archie and Nyla wouldn't be alive today.

"They saved my dogs."

Without prompting, these three men — who's names Blair wishes she knew — strapped on life jackets and jumped into a small, aluminum boat, hoping to reach the dogs. They didn't have paddles.

"They didn't even think about their own safety or what they needed. They knew time was of value and they just went into action," Blair said.

She says her dog Archie was panicking and kept going under the water; she watched the three men use branches and logs to paddle through and break the ice in order to get to her.

"One of the guys actually got out of the boat and was pulling the boat along… while the others were still breaking and pushing the boat along."

Blair says she watched from the shoreline feeling "total helplessness, total fear".

"If they weren't there, I would have watched the inevitable happen."

'So grateful'

When the men reached the dogs, about 15 or 20 minutes later, Blair says they were frozen and shaking with bruises and cuts from trying to pull themselves out of the water. 

Blair says she watched the dogs closely for the next 72 hours to make sure they were okay. 

And they are.

"They're happy today," Blair said. "They're moving a little bit slower."

With some reservations too, she says. 

"They're definitely scared of the water," Blair laughed. 

She says she's "so grateful" for the men from the coast guard and wishes she could thank them in a bigger way.

"It was very wonderful to see,"  she said, "to know we have those kinds of people out there in times of need whether it's a dog, or god forbid a child.

"These guys were so courageous."