Take-charge wife saves the day

It’s not every day you watch your wife jump into a frozen pond to rescue your dog. So when it happens, you take a moment to think about it.

It was the afternoon before New Year’s when Cassandra and I decided to walk our three dogs around the Clovis golf course.

I was worried about walking our youngest dog Cooper, a 5-pound Yorkie. I reasoned he wouldn’t do well in the chilly temperatures, but he proved me wrong.

After a few minutes of running up and down the snow-covered links, he showed no signs of being cold. Cooper trotted around like it was a sunny day in May, hopping along in the footprints of the two bigger dogs.

We strolled down the placid fairways and greens, enjoying the wintery scene as our dogs ran around freely, until we arrived at a pond wedged between the first and second hole.

The surface was frozen and the ducks that normally floated in the pond were huddled around the embankment.

Cooper took off, heading straight for the flock of ducks. Cassandra hollered for him to come back. He didn’t listen.

The ducks cackled and took refuge in the cloudy sky. Two ducks fluttered over to a small, unfrozen circle in the pond.

Cooper pursued the ducks, running on the frozen surface before reaching the edge of the ice. He tried to stop but looked like a cartoon character as he slid into the icy water.

Cassandra ran after him. For a few seconds, Cooper tried swimming toward the ducks, but soon realized he was in danger.

He doggie paddled toward the ice, but when he tried pulling himself out, the thin ice cracked and he plunged backward like a child trying to get out of a pool.

Cassandra, with no regard for her smart phone, which would soon be ruined, jumped into the pond in full Baywatch and George Bailey mode.

When she reached Cooper her wake started pulling him under, but she managed to get a hold of him. She cradled him in her arms, waded over to a firmer part of the ice, and pulled herself out.

Cassandra’s legs and thighs were frozen; Cooper was shivering, but she stuffed him inside her jacket for warmth. And that’s how she carried him home.

If they hadn’t bonded after cuddling in bed each night — effectively relegating me and the other dogs to the second string — then they certainly cemented their relationship that day.

We rushed home, and soon Cooper and Cassandra were wrapped in a heated blanket on the couch.

I learned two things that day.

First, no matter how much fun it is to let our dogs roam off the leash, the danger to them isn’t worth it. We won’t do this again.

And secondly, I’m thankful I married a woman who can make a split-second decision like that. I think she’s pretty awesome and Cooper probably thinks she’s a superhero.

Kitsana Dounglomchan, a 12-year Air Force veteran, writes about his life and times for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

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