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Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star

He stripped off most of his gear, jumped a barbed wire fence and went to the shore. Daynes and Adams discussed what to do.

“I was more comfortable getting in the water and freezing for a little bit rather than watching that dog go under and never coming back up,” said Daynes.

He tied a rope around his waist and handed his partner the other end. They put another rope around Daynes’ wrist and tied it to a tree. The animal control officer handed him a dogcatcher pole.

The ice near shore was too thin. He tried jumping out to where it was thicker.

“When I jumped out, the ice broke.”

Daynes was up to his waist.

“At that point I had to make a decision whether I was going to turn around and the dog was going to drown. I wasn’t comfortable with that.”

He pushed ahead hoping to find solid footing. Daynes climbed back on top of the ice and started to crawl. It broke again. This time he plunged completely under water. The cold bit into him. He said the pain was indescribable.

“That was when it really sank in how cold it was,” said Daynes. “At that time my hands were already starting to lose my fine motor skills.”

Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star

He kept trudging toward the dog, which seemed happy to see him.

“He swam over to me.”

Daynes stuck out the pole, looped the cable around the dog’s neck and tightened it. At first, he was relieved.

“Then the reality sank in of having to get back,” said Daynes.

He started following the path he just made through the ice. But he didn’t make it far before his body shut down.