Heroics in vain on Hampstead Heath - Dog dies in frozen lake - Owners urged to stay alert during icy spell
Published: 09 December 2010
by TOM FOOT
A LIFEGUARD jumped into a frozen lake on Hampstead Heath in a desperate attempt to save a stranded dog.
Heath bosses have urged users to stay alert after the dog died soon after being dragged out of the water on Sunday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for the Corporation of London said: “We would advise everyone to be careful at this time of this year and take extra care of animals, and children, near the ice.”
Heath walkers watched in horror as the black dog – trapped after falling through the thin ice – stared back at them and its distraught owner while furiously treading water in a desperate bid to stay afloat.
Families with small children assembled on the grassy bank at Kenwood were told to move away as the tragedy unfolded.
The lifeguard leaped into the lake and smashed a path to the dog as two men paddled behind in a tin boat.
They pulled the dog to the bank where a Heath constabulary officer wrapped it in a towel and charged up the hill towards a van.
It was taken to the Village Vet in Belsize Park where experts tried to revive it for 15 minutes but it could not be saved.