Flood traps local dog
Concerned resident and volunteer firefighters rescue canine from rising waters during last week's flood
Ray will probably never know how close he came to drowning, but he will probably always remember the unexpected boat ride which saved him from isolation.
The 13-year-old, long-haired shepherd sat chained up in his yard, just like he did every day. But, something out of the ordinary was happening in Riverbank. Waters rushed out of the St. John River and surrounded Ray's home, and his owner was nowhere to be seen. His master had evacuated the house and had no means of going back to save the pooch from an approaching liquid death.
Thankfully, Florenceville resident Larry Drost, a member of the local animal rescue team DunRoamin', took matters into his own hands.
"I just thought we can't leave him there. He would die," Drost explained. "And nobody knows how long that water would stay up.
"I called animal control, Don Langille, and he thought he could drive down, but the water was too high and he couldn't. The RCMP were there and I asked them, but, really, they couldn't do anything."
The RCMP officers did suggest various ways for Drost to rescue the animal.
"I called some people and got a hold of (Chief) Mike Walton of the Hartland Fire Department ... because they said that they have a Zodiac and he might be able to help me, which he did."
Chief Walton, along with Captain Roy Reid, and firefighters Philip Brown and David Sharp, journeyed out to the water-covered property and escorted Ray to safety.
Following the rescue, Drost found out the water hadn't risen to where Ray was chained, but there was a chance it could have taken the beautiful dog's life.
After the successful attempt, the owner gave Ray to Drost.
"I asked if I could have him," explained the concerned resident. "He's an old dog, and they said yes I could have him."
Ray Drost will soon have a new first name.
Local animal protection officer for the SPCA Don Langille said he received one other similar report where a dog was trapped due to high waters, but that dog was saved by its owner.
"And there was another incident where the lad had let two dogs go, and they headed for high ground on their own," said Langille. "I'm unsure of what took place, but the water was rising fast and high, and there may have not been much alternative at that point, but at least they got clear."
Langille said owners should not abandon their pets in times of natural disasters.
"There is help available," he explained, "and, in all likelihood, they could have been charged with abandonment."
One local citizen did the right thing and called the SPCA because his home was flooded and he had to move his dogs to higher ground.
"We offered to kennel them for him until he got things straightened around, and, in the end, a couple of his neighbours took a few of them and he surrendered one to us, which we set up for adoption."
Throughout the flood of ‘08, Langille said, there were no reports of dogs drowning.
"And we didn't hear of any cattle or horses either, because we would certainly assist in that as well," he added.
For future reference, if a pet is stranded, Langille said, owners should call the local Emergency Measures Organization, who will notify the SPCA or another agency, possibly the Department of Agriculture.
"We're there to help if we can," Langille added. "And though we're limited in equipment, we certainly worked with other agencies in the past and we'd do so again in the future if need be.
"Even people who might get burned out or something of that nature – and they've got to find a place for their pets – we're certainly there to help, if we can. And we can always find room at one of the shelters to look after their animals for them until they get situated."
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