It was his destiny to live

By Lisa Arsenault
The Surveyor

Destiny loves the spring weather, the melting snow and the warmer days.

On a spring day the 16-year-old male Sheltie dog might be found outside, his favourite place to be, soaking in the sun and running around the yard. You would never know he is losing his hearing, he has arthritis, or that just last year he won a battle with cancer.

And, you would never know about the 20 minutes Destiny spent fighting for his life in the freezing waters of the Montague river this past February.

In fact, had it not been for the the kindness of five people who risked their lives to pull him out of the icy river, Destiny would not be here today.

Animal lover Garnet Buell of Murray River was driving into Montague on Feb. 28 on his way to pick up a few groceries and run some errands when he spotted Destiny heading down the steep embankment towards the river.

Concerned for the dog's safety, Buell turned his truck around to see what the dog would do.

"I could just envision what was about to happen," said Buell. "There were ducks in a hole in the ice, the dog was likely going after the ducks."

Buell nervously watched Destiny cross the river on the ice. After seeing the dog cross safely to the other side Buell left, but hurried to get his errands done so he could return to make sure Destiny was still safe.

While Buell was getting his groceries, Myrna MacLean of Valleyfield and Melvin McCarthy of Murray Harbour were driving through Montague together.

"We were crossing the Montague Bridge and we noticed the dog in trouble," said MacLean. As Buell feared, Destiny had fallen through the ice. Somehow, MacLean spotted Destiny's small brown head poking just above the water level.

Without hesitation MacLean and McCarthy parked their car and without even turning off the engine, dashed to Destiny's rescue. McCarthy tried to edge his way over to the dog, but he had to turn back when the ice began to crack underneath him.

MacLean began banging on doors of the nearby apartment complex looking for the dog's owner and a rope, anything to help in the rescue. She asked one resident to call the fire department, however, Montague fire department records state the call was never made.

Unable to find anything to help them pull the dog from the freezing water, and knowing Destiny was running out of time, MacLean made the quick decision to go out on the ice herself, risking her own life to reach him.

"Myrna laid down on the ice on her belly, Melvin held her by the ankles," said Buell, who had returned to the scene.
"She pulled the dog out and passed him to Melvin, who passed him to me and I just cuddled him in my arms. He was pretty much going into shock at that point."

Laura Acorn and Mark MacLeod of Montague, who had arrived around the same time as MacLean and McCarthy, grabbed a blanket from their car to wrap around the dog.

"He was soaked right through and he was trembling like a leaf," said Buell. "He was just so sweet and so happy to get into a warm comforter."

Despite the danger of falling through the ice, MacLean said she wasn't really concerned.

"It crossed my mind that I might fall through, but I did what was necessary to save the dog," she said.

Putting their stories together Buell, MacLean and McCarthy estimated Destiny was in the water for approximately 20 minutes to half an hour.

Knowing the dog was going into shock, MacLean took him directly to the Montague Veterinarian Clinic.

"I authorized them to do anything they had to do until we could find his owners," she said, explaining she was willing to pay the medical bills and bring Destiny home if nobody claimed him.

Even though Destiny was in the care of a veterinarian, MacLean continued to help. She began knocking on doors in the area and calling everyone she thought may own a Sheltie.

Eventually, one of the people she called suggested the dog might belong to Margaret and Brow MacIntyre of Montague.
Apparently, while the MacIntyres were at work and their children John and Martha were at school, Destiny somehow slipped out the front door.

"Much to our surprise he left his territory. He's never loose. We always keep him tied or inside," said Margaret.

"He was meant to survive," she said, referring not only to Destiny's ordeal in the water but also his fight with cancer.
"I guess February is just not a good month for him."

"I said to my kids, when (Destiny) was out there on the ice, what do you think he was thinking about? Do you think he was thinking about us? I know it seems silly but that's something I'll always wonder cause he's just such a family dog."

Destiny was able to return home that evening. Margaret prepared hamburger for his homecoming, a meal reserved as a special treat.

Destiny's veterinarian told the MacIntyres he would have died had he been in the freezing water just a few minutes longer.
Four days later, the MacIntyres held a party at their home to thank everyone involved in Destiny's rescue and to give them a chance to reunite with the dog whose life they saved.

Although Destiny was a little wary of being the centre of attention, his five new friends were glad to see him alive and active after his experience.

When asked what she would like to publically say to the people who saved her dog, Margaret wanted to put some careful thought into how to express her gratitude.

"We are so very grateful to you," she said in a written statement. "Your kindness, quick action and bravery meant you were able to rescue our dog. When you saw him struggling in the water you didn't drive away, you stopped. Thank you so much."
Since February the MacIntyres have kept in touch with with their new friends.

"Mr. Buell, we talked to, he phoned us once, the other ones were wondering how Destiny is doing," said Brow.
"They're pretty special people really."

This summer the MacIntyres plan to take Destiny to visit with Buell, who invited them to see the property he donated to Duck's Unlimited.