Dog's efforts fail to save woman

A 66-year-old Oakville woman has died after three canoeists found her floating in Lake Ontario, with her pet golden retriever swimming alongside and attempting to drag her to safety.

Halton police say the woman was discovered along the shoreline at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, just near the foot of Birch Hill Lane in Oakville. They say preliminary investigations indicate she was probably walking her dog near the lake when she slipped on a rock and fell.

Three canoeists were paddling along the shoreline and found the woman floating in the water, said Detective Sergeant Kevin Maher.



“There was a dog swimming, treading water ... and sort of holding on, clutching the woman's clothing,” he said. “[He was] possibly attempting to pull the woman to shore, it's hard to say for sure, but that's how it can be interpreted.”

The woman was taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead at around 10 p.m. last night, Det. Maher said.

The dog, a male golden retriever, was taken to the Oakville Humane Society, where he is currently “doing okay” and waiting to be picked up. “I think he's a little bit stressed but other than that he's doing okay,” said executive director Johanne Golder. “There obviously was a strong bond between them and that would be very stressful for an animal to be in that kind of situation.”