“I saw a post by a neighbor about a deer that was stuck in ice on the Red Deer River we live on. Being an ex-firefighter, feeling empathetic to a living-being suffering and near death and knowing I could do something about it made me respond instinctively. I filled my truck with a canoe, sled, ropes, harnesses, hip waders and a life jacket. I went down a steep bank to go on thin ice to try and get close to the old doe but she tried to get away. I had to circle around behind her and get in the river myself to coax her toward shore. I tried lifting her out but she was weak and heavy. I wrapped a rope around her and with help from Ted pulling and me pushing at the same time, we got her out of the ice. It was an incredibly rewarding feeling to have worked with our neighbors to save the life of this animal. I asked Laura to come for safety and as an after-thought she brought her camera. For bread and butter we are construction contractors but are also passionate wildlife filmmakers that have been saving animals. We want to inspire others to care for animals in distress. While helping out, Laura managed to get footage of the deer rescue. It was scary but the right thing to do. We never would have attempted this if we did not have the training and abilities to succeed and do not encourage those that do not have experience.”
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