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Your dog slips its collar & jumps into flooded river - do you go in after it?


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Old 31-07-2016, 13:53
OvertheUnder
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It's the nightmare scenario where your dog breaks free from it's collar/lead and jumps into a extremely fast flowing river in flood. The water is more a torrent and you see your little pup get washed down river and struggling to swim.

Do you in the few minutes you have:

A) Run after and jump in, hoping your'll be able to swim confidently in the current and pull your dog to safety.

B) Watch in anguish as the dog is washed away thinking he/she will find a way to get to dry land?

What would you do?
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Old 31-07-2016, 14:30
Marti S
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i would watch in anguish, too many times the owner drowns and the dog survives in such circumstances
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Old 31-07-2016, 15:25
TWS
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The dog is far more likely to be able to get out than I am, so keep heading down stream on the bank and see what happens if I can see him or get to him another way
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Old 31-07-2016, 19:18
marieukxx
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I have read stories of owners doing this and drowing but YES I would go in without any hesitation.
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Old 31-07-2016, 19:29
Muze
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No, I'd never forgive myself for letting it happen, but I have other dependants so I would never take that risk.

Many times, you find the dog washes up downstream injured but alive.

Fit collars correctly, use harnesses, train a solid recall and be sensible and these are decisions you won't have to make.
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Old 01-08-2016, 00:06
Shrike
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Dogs have much better insulation against cold water than we do - they are more likely to survive in such a torrent than we are. Best to follow it downstream and hope for somewhere safe to haul it out.
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Old 01-08-2016, 11:51
hobbes
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Jumping in is madness- there might be hidden rocks or rubbish, plus the cold water can shock you unconscious and your clothes pull you down. But who knows how they'd react in a panic.
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Old 01-08-2016, 16:03
molliepops
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I would make my way down stream waiting to see where she came out, or push my husband in after her yelling don't let her drown. Not sure he'd be too impressed but he's long known his place in the family
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Old 01-08-2016, 17:42
skinj
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I'd like to think I'd do the sensible thing and follow the course of the river to a less rapid section so I could try and get the dog out safely there. Used to be a really good swimmer but that was a long time ago now and I'm sure I'd be the one needing to be saved more than the dog. That said, I'm daft enough & care about the dog so much that' I'd probably be in fairly sharpish, trying to keep my legs up and out of the way of hidden rocks, shopping trolleys as much as poss!
As others have said, in most case where owners go in, they are the ones that come off worse, probably due to the cold (which dogs are better suited to), overestimating their swimming ability based on school lessons 20 years prior & also that we are a much more vertically orientated creature. Dogs are likely to only hit obstacles that are a couple of ft under the surface and even then only their legs which can easily be deflected out of the way. At the same sort of depth I would be hitting things at liver/kidney/stomach/knackers/bowel/diaphragm height all of which could cause issues far more quickly than a dog bruising of breaking a leg instead.
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Old 04-08-2016, 18:17
CollieWobbles
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I love my dog to pieces, she's my baby but I'd never jump in water after her. Partly because more often than not in these circumstances the owner dies and the dog survives, but mainly because it'd be absolutely pointless. She can swim like a fish whereas I can't swim at all, I am going to get into far more trouble than her wasting precious time that I could use to run along the bank and try to find a more suitable place to get her out.
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Old 20-08-2016, 00:05
Patty_S
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This is so dificult, but I wouldn't jump! I love my dogs and they really love swimming, so I think they would be ok
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Old 20-08-2016, 14:10
Absolutely
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I send hubby after my dog.
One of my dogs did fall into the river when about 6 mth old, but hubby could pull him out grabbing hold of the collar. It was not a fast flowing river.
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Old 20-08-2016, 18:37
Shadow27
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My dog has a harness with a lead that attaches to this and her collar so I hope it would be incredibly rare. I don't know what I'd do. I can't swim, she can. But until I was in that position, impossible to say.
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Old 23-08-2016, 13:58
GeneralMayhem
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the RNLI recommends that you not even jump in after your child!

Er no, I love my dogs but they are good swimmers and if they are happy enough to jump in then they need to take some responsibility for their actions.
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Old 23-08-2016, 14:38
paralax
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I think I would, it would be an automatic reaction, not sensible I know.
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Old 23-08-2016, 14:43
welwynrose
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Hubby would be in like a shot I'm not as strong a swimmer so not sure if I would
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