Rex returned to Bondy Family by local good samaritans

By: Devan Mighton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter

Pooch Rescued After 28 Hours On Icy Lake St. Clair

Rex returned to Bondy Family by local good samaritans

By Devan Mighton

 

It was a harrowing ordeal for the Bondy Family of Belle River. Their dog, Rex, seemingly attempting a Lakeshore re-enactment of Homeward Bound, spent overnight on frozen Lake St. Clair, leaving AJ, Jessica, and their children, Hudson (11) and Claire (6), in fear for his well-being.

 

Living on the edge of the Puce Canal, Jessica says Rex had never jumped down onto the ice before, but on Wednesday, Feb. 26, her pup, complete with a light-coloured coat that blended in perfectly with the snow and ice, hopped onto the frozen surface and walked far out onto the lake.

 

“We were absolutely terrified,” explains Jessica. “He was too far out to hear us call him and he didn’t have a sight line or scent trail to go by because he was so far out. It was freezing temperatures but we were unsure of the ice conditions, so we had a million worries – we didn’t know how long he could survive the cold and we were worried that there would be holes in the ice on the lake that he could fall through. It was the scariest thing we have ever experienced.”

 

With Rex on the move, and the Bondys struggling to keep an eye on him from shore, the family reached out to the OPP, Coast Guard, and Lakeshore Fire Department, but she says they couldn’t help because the dog was out past their restrictions.

 

As word spread, people started helping with binoculars and drones, keeping a check on the dog.

 

“It was a whirlwind of having eyes on him and then losing sight, because he was so far out that even with professional binoculars he looked like a tiny spec in the distance,” recalls Jessica. “We lost sight of him and kept looking but the sun went down and we couldn’t see anything.”

 

As night fell, fear and realization set in that the family may have seen Rex for the last time and that he was doomed to hypothermia unsheltered on the ice shelf.

 

“We kept going out through the night in hopes that he would be able to see people’s lights on their houses and that would guide him to the shoreline,” she explains. “We put out dog food and some blankets that had our scent on them at the different inlets on shore hoping and praying that he would find his way back in the night.

 

“It went to below freezing temperatures and we feared for the worst, not sure how he could possibly survive the night. We made a post on social media, reaching out to the people that live along the shoreline to keep an eye out and by morning it was shared over 500 times.”

 

After a restless sleep, Jessica and her family were up early, hoping to retrieve their dog, and, at 9:30 am, they spotted him through the fog and the rain approximately two kilometres out on the lake, still on the move. Jesse Schouten, owner of Lucky K-9 Dog Training, was with the family for two days, and helped the family identify the dog out on the ice.

 

More members of the community started showing up at the lakefront with binoculars and drones, rallying around the family. Soon after, three good samaritans, Matt Leavoy, riding a snowmobile, as well as Jamie Leavoy and Steve Coulter, in float suits, started trekking out onto the lake to find Rex.

 

“My dad and my sister and I were out for lunch and we decided to head over to help,” explains Steve’s daughter, Kailey. “Once we got there, my dad offered to go walk out onto the ice to go get him.”

 

With AJ watching from shore with the aid of Ryan Ouellette (@fly.with.rye on Instagram) and his drones, Matt was able to reach the pooch first and transport him to Steve and Jamie, walking with treats and a leash with them for Rex. After which, they walked him back to shore.

 

“It was a beautiful display of community coming together despite not knowing each other and all having different backgrounds, and views, and none of that mattered,” states Jessica. “We all just rallied together and got Rex home safe and sound. We are so thankful, we don’t want to even think about what would have happened to him if we didn’t get to him when we did. He was out on the lake for a total of 28 hours; he came home completely unharmed. His paws were in great shape and he had no injuries, just very tired and sore from running nonstop.”

 

The Bondys are grateful to their community for stepping up to help them and the good samaritans that took the risk of crossing the lake to retrieve their fur baby. “We have two kids and they were both terrified overnight – they couldn’t sleep either,” she says. “Once we got him off the ice, they were both so happy – lots of happy tears.”

 

Photo courtesy Kailey Coulter