Beloved pet drowns in North Saskatchewan River
Hopefully others won’t have to lose their pets to drowning, Jan Melnyk writes.
Jan Melnyk hadn’t taken her dog Max swimming in years. Even though the seven-year-old Labrador cross loved to swim, previous dips in Alberta lakes had resulted in infections and expensive trips to the vet.
But Melnyk thought Max needed cheering up. She decided a trip to the riverbank at the Buena Vista off-leash dog park to go for a swim would help him break out of the slump he’d been in ever since his sister and one of his best friends both died in the past year.
But when they got to the park on July 23, Max bounded away from Melnyk and her husband, Mike. That would be the last time they’d see their beloved pup.
“We were calling and calling to him,” Melynk recalled, adding that her dog typically had very high recall skills. “But he was nowhere to be found.”
Melynk printed lost-dog posters and put out calls online to aid search efforts. She went to sleep that evening believing that Max had just got lost or got picked up by a concerned passerby.
The next morning, they found a description of Max in the city’s animal care and control lost pet listings. They quickly went in to see him.
“I thought he was alive. That was the worst part. I went in and I was so excited,” Melnyk said. “And then Mike turned to me and said, ‘Janet, he drowned.’ And I just lost my mind.”
Max’s death was crushing to Melnyk, who had owned the dog since adopting him from the Edmonton Humane Society more than six years ago.
She’s channelled some of that grief into an initiative she’s calling Woofs on Water — or WOW, for short. Melnyk is ordering life-jackets for dogs and giving them out at the Buena Vista riverbank where many Edmontonians bring their dogs to swim in the river.
Melnyk plans to visit the park this Sunday to give out the jackets, assuming her shipment comes in on time. Then she wants to return each year to do the same thing as a way of paying tribute to the memory of her four-legged friend.
“I want to prevent another tragedy. I know that if Max had had a life-jacket on, he’d still be alive today,” Melnyk said.
Through the heartbreaking ordeal, Melnyk has also found solace in the kindness of strangers. The canoeists who recovered Max reached out and assured her that Max looked at peace when they rescued his body. She also received a card from the city’s animal care and control department on top of swaths of social media condolences.
Someone also put up a blue ribbon that says “Max 2019” at the Grand Trunk dog park in the dog’s memory.
Melnyk also brought home a new puppy, 10-week-old Jasper. While she says Jasper isn’t meant to replace Max, he’s helping to ease the pain of losing a dear friend.
In the end, Melnyk hopes her story encourages other dog owners to be cautious with their canine friends around the water, especially the unpredictable North Saskatchewan River.
Last week, as we drove our dogs to Buena Vista off-leash dog park on the hottest day of summer, I noticed a sign next to the Lauderdale pool: Drowning Prevention Week. I remember remarking to my husband, “How is it that people go boating and don’t wear life jackets? Every year there are more drownings.”
Little did I know that before the sun set, our dog, Max, would have drowned.
We arrived at the dog park after getting lost. If only we’d turned around and gone home, I lament now. I’d decided to go to the river after years of denying Max a swim. He was a lab-cross and swimming was second-nature. We used to take him to a dog park/lake in St. Albert where he had a blast. He even got his picture in the St. Albert newspaper. But every swim resulted in ear and skin infections, followed by expensive vet visits. Many people said the river wouldn’t have the lake bacteria.
Summers went by and Max became landlocked. This year was a hard one for Max — he lost his sister dog Shasta — she was 17. Then a puppy we adopted was re-homed at a lavender farm. Then his best pal, Bogey, died suddenly of brain cancer. Max was depressed and just lay in a heap. His eyes looked so sad. Grand Trunk dog park was his happy place — he loved the two-leggers best.
But July 23 was too hot to go to our park. I said, “OK, Max, you’re going for a swim.” And we set off for Laurier. I had our puppy, Murphy, on-leash. But we let seven-year-old Max off-leash as he has excellent recall. He bounded back and forth in the 30-degree heat as I asked people how to get to the river. Then Max took off down a forested pathway at breakneck speed. We called, “Max! Max!” Recall didn’t work. The call of the river was too strong.
We searched frantically for him, thinking he cooled off and then got lost. We went home and made lost-dog posters. Upon returning that evening, we followed our tracks, calling his name. A kind man offered to put posters up and search the park the next morning. Other dog owners snapped photos of the poster on their phones.
The next day Max’s description showed up on Animal Control’s website. We hurried there. I thought he’d been found alive, and was overcome with happiness. Then my husband turned to me and said, “Jan, Max drowned.”
I went into shock. “What? What are you saying?”
Max was a strong swimmer, but there were whirlpools and currents, I learned.
It’s nobody’s fault except mine. I should have known the river was high. Yesterday, my vet pointed out: “Look at all the rain we had this summer.”
“But what about the safe beach?” I said. “That’s where we were heading.”
“That beach has been wiped out by the river,” she said.
Because it was midsummer, I never thought the river would be dangerous.
We’re grateful to the canoeists who pulled Max into their boat, and treated him compassionately. They wanted us to know his fate, and not wonder what happened to him. They said one thing that comforted me. He looked at peace. We’re also appreciative of Edmonton Fire and Rescue — and Animal Control who sent us a lovely card of condolence. As well, lost pet websites and the Buena Vista Facebook page helped get the word out that Max was missing. After I let people know our tragic outcome, many strangers posted online condolences.
In his name, I’m starting a personal venture to get life preservers for dogs who swim in the river. I just ordered 15 doggie life jackets — and will give them away at Buena Vista Park in the next few weeks. Every summer, I’ll donate more. Woofs on Water (WOW!) is the name of Max’s venture.
People are welcome to follow suit and purchase their own life preserver for a favourite dog to keep them safe in the water.
I need something good to come from this.
Someone put a blue ribbon up at our local park, with the words, Max 2019.
Godspeed, my sweet boy. You’ll not be forgotten.
We called, “Max! Max!” Recall didn’t work. The call of the river was too strong.