Scary footage shows woman plunging into frozen lake to rescue stranded dog

"I have to go in."
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 

Footage of a woman wading into an icy lake to rescue a stranded dog has gone viral.

The dramatic event took place on Trout Lake in Vancouver, Canada, on Friday, after a dog wandered out to the middle of the lake before falling through the ice.

Ben West was filming on the edge of the lake at the time, and documented the whole thing on his phone.

He also posted a longer update, giving a detailed outline of what happened and confirming the woman was receiving treatment, on his Instagram.

West confirmed the dog was okay, too.

Later, he posted the full video on YouTube.

In that clip, someone can be heard shouting "don't go in" as the woman steps out onto the lake.

"Yeah, but he can't get out," she responds. "So I have to go in."

It's worth noting that rescue services definitely don't advise this:

In this case though, thankfully, the story had a happy ending.

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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