Thousands participate in Polar Bear Swims around B.C.
Thousands of people braved frigid waters on New Year’s Day to participate in Polar Bear Swims around B.C.
Crowds for the plunge in White Rock, which celebrated its 55th anniversary this year, were estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000.
“We’re really happy it’s not raining,” Melanie Smith with the White Rock Polar Bear Plunge told Global News. “When it rains, we obviously have way less people come out, which is disappointing…
“But no, today I think it’s about five degrees. The water is seven and a half degrees. So it’s warmer in the water, guys.”
Other cities holding Polar Bear Swims included Vancouver, Port Moody, Kelowna and Prince Rupert.
The first Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver took place in 1976 with 641 people registering for the event.
======================================================================
Squirrel-chasing dog defies gravity with
50-foot tree climb in Alberta
Dogs are typically known for their strong noses, protective nature and being man’s best friend. But one Alberta pup is defying that, and maybe defying gravity by climbing all the way up a 50-foot tree.
Tigger is just like any other young dog: she likes to play, run around her yard and chase squirrels.
On Sunday, Tigger was taking part in her favourite activities as usual on the family’s property west of Edmonton, on Wabamun Lake.
“I went outside with her, she had been watching a squirrel and she went to the spruce trees it’s normally in. I walked away a bit and then I turned around and she was gone,” said Sasha Marks, Tigger’s mom.
Marks thought her pet might’ve gone to visit their neighbours, instead, something she never expected.
“I looked up and she was 50 feet up in the tree, that’s always been there and she’s never climbed it before. But that day she decided to,” Marks said.
The one-year-old coonhound cross climbed the family’s willow tree all on her own. But, shortly after seeing Tigger in the tree, panic set in.
Marks was afraid Tigger could get hurt if she fell — unlike a cat, she probably wouldn’t land on her feet. Marks started laying down little mattresses by the tree, in case the pup slipped.
With Marks’ family away on a ski trip, she wasn’t able to grab Tigger from the tree by herself. So she turned to firefighters to rescue the dog that barked up the wrong tree.
“When they came out and looked they said ‘Yep, it’s a dog in a tree.’ They were in a little bit of disbelief too,” Marks said.
The shocked firefighters snapped a few pictures of Air Bud and then got to work rescuing the pup. Marks says her dog was quite happy to be carried down the ladder.
Tigger luckily wasn’t hurt, just a little cold. But next time around Marks and her pup might be a little more cautious.
“I’m a little afraid to let her off-leash there now. Now that she knows she can climb it, but maybe she learned her lesson and she knows that she can’t get back down again.”
