My Husky on Thin Ice: A 'What If?' That Chills Me

This winter has been weird. It's not usually this cold here, not for this long anyway. But for the last couple of weeks, the temperatures have just plummeted, and things that never freeze are solid. The big canal we walk along every day is now a sheet of ice from one bank to the other. And on our walk the other day, Barney just... did it. One second he was trotting beside me, the next he was a few feet out on the ice, sniffing at a frozen leaf. My heart just stopped. I yelled his name in a voice I didn't recognize and thank god he turned and came right back. But in those five seconds, my brain flashed with every horrible headline about a dog who fell through ice. He was fine, nothing happened, but the image is just burned into my mind now.

The whole thing happened so fast, I didn't even have time to react properly. My hands were so cold I could barely work my phone, I was just trying to get a picture of how strange the canal looked. Barney is usually pretty good, but he has that typical Husky curiosity, and the ice was something new. He didn't run, just confidently trotted out like it was solid ground. And I just froze. The ice didn't even creak, which was lucky, but it's not thick. I know it's not. The news has been warning people and pets to stay off of it for days. But dogs don't watch the news, I guess. That short walk back to the path felt like a mile, and I clipped his leash back on so tight, he probably thought he did something wrong. He was fine—well, not fine fine, he was totally oblivious, which is almost worse.

Heart vs. Head

Ever since it happened, I can't stop thinking about it. What if it had cracked? What if he'd gone under? And the question that keeps me up at night is, what would I have done? The immediate, gut-level answer from my heart is just 'GO.' I would go in after him, I wouldn't even think about it. He's my dog, my family. The thought of just standing on the bank, watching him struggle, is physically unbearable. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. You'd break the ice, you'd do whatever it takes, you'd just get him out. That's the animal instinct part of my brain, I guess. The part that doesn't think about consequences, just about the creature you love being in mortal danger. It feels so simple in my head: my dog is in trouble, I help him. Period.

But then my brain kicks in, the logical, terrified part of me. I know you're not supposed to go in after them. I know the cold water shock can paralyze you in seconds. You become the second victim, maybe you both drown. It's so easy to say that from a warm living room, but could I actually live with that choice? To just stand there and scream for help that might not come in time? The helplessness of it is unimaginable. I just keep replaying it, this horrible movie in my mind, and me trying to crawl on the ice and the ice breaking more and the water being so cold I can't breathe and Barney panicking. It's a spiral. And I'm just torn between this fierce, protective love and the cold, hard reality of survival. Honestly.

I've talked to two people about it and got two completely different answers. One said they'd be in the water without a second thought, the other said it's a tragic but necessary act of self-preservation to stay out and call for help. So helpful, lol. It's made me realize there's no easy answer, just two terrible options. We're obviously avoiding the canal path for now, or at least keeping him on a very short leash when we're near it, but that doesn't stop the thought from bubbling up. It was a five-second event that has created a permanent anxiety in the back of my mind. I don't even know anymore.

It's a horrible scenario, I know, and I'm so grateful that nothing happened and my boy is currently snoring on the rug beside me. But it really opened my eyes to how quickly a normal day can turn into a nightmare. You think you'd know what you would do in a life-or-death situation, but I honestly have no idea. One part of me says I'd be a hero, and the other part is terrified I'd be a coward who just stood there and watched. Anyway. It’s a lot to think about on a random Tuesday.