Two horses flee enclosure, fall into icy backyard pool as Quebec town rallies in rescue attempt
WARNING -- This story contains images some may find distressing
Two runaway horses were discovered in a backyard swimming pool Friday in Hemmingford, Que., about an hour south of Montreal.
The horses had already been on the run for hours, locals say, escaping from a nearby enclosure.
During the night, Francois Pouliot says he was woken up by his dog barking.
“He wasn’t calming down. So I said, ‘there’s something going on outside’,” said Pouliot. “We started to look around, and I found two horses in the driveway.”
He says the horses made their way to the middle of town. Meanwhile, an entourage of locals had started searching for them.
Somehow, they wandered into a nearby backyard, and fell through the ice over a family swimming pool. It’s unclear how long they were submerged. Sean Hadley got a frantic call from his mother, who owns the pool, at around 8:30 a.m.
“She goes, ‘well, they’re in the pool,’ and she was a little frantic,” he said, recouting the call. “I came right down to find two horses.”
Pouliot had also come to the house to try to hoist the horses out. One of them had become trapped in the frigid water under the protective tarp and couldn’t be saved.
“I just realized a horse just like fell and died in our hands,” he told CTV. “And right away, you had no time to cry or whatever. It’s like ‘okay, there’s another one right there. We can save this one.’ It takes a lot of adrenaline.”
A Quebec provincial police car is seen parked at a residence in Hemmingford, Que., where two horses escaped from their enclosure and fell into a nearby backyard pool. One of the horses died, while the other was taken into the care of an animal shelter.
In a post to social media, nearby animal shelter RefugeRR confirmed it took the surviving horse into its care.
“She is safe, warm and we are hoping she does not develops pneumonia from all the water in her lungs,” wrote the shelter. “This poor mare also watched her friend drown right in front of her.”
“Thank you so much to the citizens of Hemmingford, and fire department for working so hard to get her out of the water,” it added.
The shelter says the horse is already undergoing treatment, and will receive “life-long care.”
As for the owner of the horse, the SPCA says it has seized three of his dogs, and provincial officials will visit him in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.