A visit to King's Park for one Winnipeg family turned tragic Monday. A 58-year-old man drowned while trying to save his dog who wandered into a pond.
"It was very traumatizing, if it was me if it was my dog I probably would have done the same thing," said witness Linda Toderan.
Winnipeg police and witnesses say around 9:30 p.m. the dog went into the pond and appeared to be in distress. The man attempted to rescue the dog, but got into trouble himself.
"At that time he got trapped is my understanding in some very thick reeds and soft mud underneath the water, which was extremely deep in parts, where you wouldn't be able to touch the ground," said Const. Tammy Skrabek.
Two bystanders jumped into action, struggling to pull the man out, risking their lives in the process.
"They're definitely heroes. It was two men, one jumped in right away," said Toderan.
Once all three were out police say witnesses performed CPR on the man, but he later died in hospital. One of the bystanders was sent to hospital in stable condition.
Linda Toderan witnessed the aftermath.
"When I got there the gentleman was already out of the water. I was consoling the wife," said Toderan. Toderan also helped search for the dog named Smokey until it was too dark. Toderan says Smokey was found alive and well the next morning by the man's family.
The drowning is bringing a warning from police: ponds like the one in King’s Park can be deceiving.
"We also don't know what the soil is like underneath when you're talking, wet, mucky soil, it very much acts like quicksand," said Skrabek.
King's Park is home to an off-leash dog area.
Several dog owners tell CTV News their dogs go in the water all the time. Some say they won't let that happen anymore.
"Oh yeah, I'm not going to let my dogs in the water," said dog owner Marsha Graham.
There are signs around the pond telling people not to go wading or swimming.
