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Jumping into rivers to save dogs - Idiot season returns
Deaf Leppard
Posts: 2,682 Forum Member
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I see a man has died after jumping into an icy river to save his pet dog.
He died. The dog lived.
How many idiotic acts of stupidity like this will there be this winter?
He died. The dog lived.
How many idiotic acts of stupidity like this will there be this winter?
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I don't think any of us know what we'd do if our pets were in distress.. I wouldn't call the guy an idiot though, he acted on instinct.
I absolutely agree....my dog fell in the river a while back, and my first instinct was to jump in and grab him, as I would any of my family, or indeed any animal or person I saw struggling in water...even though I can't swim swim well and hate water. Luckily he got himself out almost as quickly as he went in, so I didn't have to.
Its terrifying, your heart goes up in your mouth and all thoughts of your own safety fly out the window..its purely instinct to save and protect the thing you love
Poor man, my heart goes out to any family he left behind
*don't know if this guy had kids
There are less meaningful ways to die. If I was a close relativr of his I would be cross with him for doing it but also I would know why he died and that he did it as an act of compasion, albeit misguided. It's not like he was killed by a random stranger or in an inexplicable accident.
Firstly, any link to the story as I would like to know the circumstances ?
Secondly, just because someone loves their pet it does not make them stupid and it is not very nice to call them that when they have lost their life. I think sometimes post callous comments like this on the internet without any thought of the poor relatives and friends who may read them.
OP is offline but here's the link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11855053
2nd point I agree with, we all know it's not the safe thing to do but I understand why they do it.
Very sad. But we should remember that both dogs and cats can swim.
In these type of cases, it's nearly always the case that the pet owner drowns, while the pet itself swims to safety.
Depends how much you love your pet. To many of us, pets are family. I wouldn't let a member of my family drown.
That was my point, do you save the dog at the risk of destroying your parent's, kid's or whatever. But I can see how logic goes out the window when faced with something real not hypothetical. I'm a bit of a chicken, I think I'd just sit on the river bank and cry.
We may see a pet as part of the family, but most of the time a dog will get out eventully itself, it is not worth dying for, a whole family is devastated because of this.
If our dog fell in, we would never jump in a fast flowing river after her, she would more than likely get out herself, and if not, then it would be a tragedy, but at least no human will have died trying to save her.
More responsibility on the owners part would be better, keep dogs on leads by rivers in the winter, or walk them away from water.Think ahead.
The difference is that whilst the initial feeling is just as intense it passes so much quicker.
Would I jump in a river to save my child - yes.
Would I jump in a river to save my dog - probably not, but only because I have a child.
It is not worth risking the life of a person to save an animal.
But this situation could be completely avoided by keeping the animal on a lead in the first place, that is the most stupid thing in all these stories.
You obviously don't have a dog, or if you do must not like it very much.
Its not like 'oh lost the dog' 'must buy another' I know if my dog jumped in then I would have no hesitation to save her - many dog owners (me included) grow very attached to dogs and they cannot be replaced, I'm sure all the dog owners on here know what I mean.
The assumption here being that one life is somehow intrinsically more valuable than another. Humans are animals. It's all about personal priorities-if one of my cats was drowning, I'd jump in to save it because it's part of my family. If it was next door's kid, I probably wouldn't, because I'd be risking my life for a stranger, essentially, and I suspect my self preservation instinct would take over. There is no particular reason why one mammal should be considered more worthy of life than another except on a subjective basis.
Just..................wow.
They all die. (predictably).
Baby is found an hour later by walkers, family found floating down the river. I'm guessing that baby will be comforted knowing she/he is parentless due to their total stupidity.
I've seen that many 'dead dog walker' stories to know the simple equation; Dog walker + Cold winter river = DEATH
How do they know - did the baby tell them?
perhaps the wife fell in, husband jumped in to help, and loyal dog jumped in to grab husband.
My dad did it once when our dog raced off across an icy lake and broke through the ice and went under, my dad went in to help and he really struggled to get back out again, meanwhile our dog got out fairly easily and stood at the side of the lake eyeing my dad up for the complete nutter he was. My mum went abolute ape at him when she found out how utterly stupid and irresponsible he'd been. Humans are stupid, it's what makes us human.
Probably some smug witness standing on the river bank thinking "What a pair of idiots, fancy jumping in the river after a dog."
We have to remember that dogs and cats (and most other animals) have a full body covering of oiled hair. When these animals fall into water, there is a layer of air trapped in the fur closest the skin which actually keeps them relatively warm. So whilst they may seem shocked and desparate to get back out, they will actually survive in the water for up to an hour, and as long as they keep trying, they'll probably eventually find a way out.
Humans, on the other hand, don't have a covering of hair, and when we go into near freezing water, we can go into hypothermic unconsiousness in as little as three minutes, at which point there is no hope.
So, as much as you as love your pets as family, if they fall into icy water, let them get out themselves. They will survive. You won't!