A warning has been sounded after firefighters rescued a dog which almost died after falling through ice on a frozen Oxford pond.

Three-year-old cocker spaniel Shadow was eventually dragged out of the pond in Cutteslowe Park about 15 minutes after falling into the freezing water.

Firefighters from Rewley Road fire station helped to rescue the dog, which was not on a lead when he got into trouble while out on a walk with his owners in the North Oxford park.

His owner Rachel Moss, of Croxford Gardens, Kidlington, has urged other dog walkers to keep their animals away from frozen areas of water after the incident on Wednesday.

Mrs Moss, 38, who was walking Shadow with her nine-year-old daughter Emily at the time, said: “It was frightening. Shadow was absolutely stuck.

“We didn’t see him get on the ice, but when we looked round we just saw him in the water.

“It was horrible to watch. He could see us but we were helpless, we couldn’t do anything.”

The firefighters rescued Shadow by breaking the ice with a ladder so that he could swim closer to the edge of the pond, where they were able to pull out him.

Mrs Moss, a mother of three, who works as a part-time administrator at Ruskin College, said: “I thought we had lost him. Without a doubt if the firemen didn’t get here we would have lost him.

“I’m so grateful to them. We can’t thank them enough.”

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s risk reduction officer Julian Green said: “Don’t go on the ice. It’s dangerous for anyone to go on to ice, because you don’t know how thick it is and if it will support your weight.

“People also need to try to keep their animals off the ice.

“Dogs need to be kept on a lead in a park if there’s ice over water.

“We have had a very cold spell recently but the ice is usually quite thin.

“In Oxfordshire when we get ice, it’s never safe to go on.

“You can’t go playing with your life.

“Hypothermia will set in quite quickly and you can’t survive for very long.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk