One of the most dangerous times of the year for dogs has come to the Chicago area—that period of the winter when severe-but-short-lived cold alternates with midday thaw. Ponds, lakes, marshes—even smaller or slower-moving rivers—ice over during the cold but the return of warm weather allows the ice to soften and crack.
People get reminded by signs in parks and by public service announcements that they should avoid ice that is cracked or less than 6 inches thick. They get told to wait until the weather has stayed below freezing all the time for at least a week before trusting any ice, and to stay off ice over moving water. And even with those warnings, some people don’t pay attention and get in trouble. But dogs (and other animals) can’t read signs or understand warnings announced on the radio or TV, so it’s up to us, the dog owners and dog lovers, to restrain our dogs around bodies of water during perilous times like these.
Even if you have a small dog, like our 20-pound shiba inu, you should assume the ice isn’t safe for your dog etiher whenever the signs posted at your local forest preserve lake warn people off. Why? Because if the ice cracks under your little dog, it sure won’t hold for you, so how are you going to save your now-panicky furry friend?
For all the “brave boy/girl rescues dog” stories you see in the news, you also see ones about “man/woman swept to death trying to rescue dog.” If the ice is too thin to hold the dog’s weight in the first place, it will also keep breaking off as the dog tries to climb out. In deeper water, this may mean the exhausted and hypothermic dog eventually slips under the ice, away from the hole.
But even if the water depth is less than the dog’s height, your dog could still be in serious trouble. A wet dog can get hypothermic just like a person. And ice can be sharp enough to cut your dog’s legs and body. Much better that you keep your dog away from the ice. One reason the Mack Road off-leash exercise field in DuPage County gets such high usage now stems from the complete fencing of the area. Dog no longer have access to the river while off leash.
The Pratts Wayne Woods area, by contrast, while mostly fenced, does include within the fencing an area that frequently includes water in a low area. This hasn’t stopped me from bringing my dogs there, off leash, in the winter—but neither our Amber (now, alas, gone to her eternal dog run) nor Crystal ever showed any need to explore the ice. Seiki the shiba, who shows limited interest in wading, doesn't do much ice exploring either—too slippery! If your dog is a water-crazy retriever, wisdom and prudence might lead you to a different decision.
Don’t put yourself or your dog at risk—keep your dog(s) off the ice unless temperatures have stayed well below freezing for more than a week. And avoid the ice again once daytime temperatures start climbing above freezing. I’m all for enjoying the out-of-doors with dogs, and staying safe is key to lasting enjoyment.
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