Saddleworth Parish Council Chairman praised for his valiant attempt to save drowning dog in village canal

Valiant rescue attempt – Cllr Graham Sheldon

By Stuart Littleford

A Saddleworth Councillor has been praised by villagers for his valiant attempt to save a drowning dog in the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Uppermill.

Chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council, Councillor Graham Sheldon, dashed to help the dog after spotting it struggling in the canal whilst walking his own dogs along the towpath on the morning of Tuesday 4 March. A number of people had gathered at the side of the water frantically trying to rescue the distressed animal.

The dog, named ‘Whiskey’, had escaped from a nearby property after the gate had been left open and had made his way onto the canal and then fallen into the water. He became exhausted as he struggling to get out again.

Saddleworth News was contacted by a number of readers who wanted Cllr Sheldon’s efforts to be highlighted after they had heard of his rescue attempt.

Cllr Sheldon told Saddleworth News: “I was walking my dogs along the canal when I noticed a dog struggling in the water further down and a group of people at the canal edge, there was a bit of a commotion going on and as I got closer I could see the dog wasn’t moving anymore – it must have given up.

“I tied my own dogs up and instinctively jumped into the canal to try and save the poor thing, by the time I had got it out it had stopped breathing, myself and a few others tried to revive it by doing CPR but it was just too difficult.”

Whiskey – escaped after gate left open

The dog’s owner, Ann Wake, arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and wrapped Whiskey in a blanket, she ran back with him to their house on Moorgate Street, with husband Mike they rushed him to a Veterinary Practise in Mossley in the hope of saving him. Sadly after trying for some time the vets said they couldn’t do anything to revive him.

Mr Wake told Saddleworth News: “The journey to the vets was the worst three minutes of my life, I was praying he would be alright, unfortunately it wasn’t possible for them to revive him when we got there. We had got him from a dogs home just before they were about to put him down, I am looking at it from the perspective that at least we gave him some extra time and love.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Uppermill

“We will miss Whiskey a lot, and I’m still very upset but I want to thank all those who tried to save him, especially Councillor Sheldon who was a very brave man jumping into the canal and I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart.”

Mike said the gate could had been “left open by people looking for scrap metal”, they have only just moved into the property recently, there was an old microwave left in the garden that vanished the day Whiskey escaped.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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