An Edmonton area pet owner is lucky to be alive after she tried to rescue one of her dogs when it fell through the ice during a spring stroll along a river bank.

Kathy Amyocte was walking her two dogs in the southwest part of the city on Saturday when they ran out onto the ice of the North Saskatchewan River, which is starting to weaken with spring's arrival.

"I went out there and I grabbed Bear out, but Jasper was already under and gone," Amyocte told CTV Edmonton.

Amyocte's failed rescue attempt left her submerged in the frigid water.

"I found him floating under the ice over. I climbed out there to reach through the broken area and went under myself. There was a girl out there who helped pull me out," Amyocte said.

Melissa Ade was also out walking her dog on the banks of the river when she saw Amyocte plunge into the water.

"I just went down after her. I was walking with the dog as he was floating under the ice. I told her that I could see him and she just went too far and then she fell in," Ade said. "It's not worth letting them off the leash. Not this close to the ice anyways."

Amyocte is thankful she wasn't the only one out by the river: "Thank goodness that girl was down there. I'm not so sure I would have gotten out."

Kristine Radtke was with Amyocte at the time and warned her about the danger to the dogs.

"We were just saying we gotta go because it's too close to the river and she just said it not even two minutes before it happened," Radtke told CTV Edmonton.

Amyocte, soaking wet, paced the banks of the river while rescue crews patrolled the river in a hovercraft looking for Jasper's body.

She faced with the daunting task of telling her two children that Jasper, their lab-boxer mix, is not coming home.

Cpt. Ken Koluk of the Edmonton Fire Depatment warned it's not wise to be walking animals near the ice during the spring thaw.

"Don't let your dog go free. You're just looking for trouble," he said.

Fire officials sayaccidents like this happen more often than people think. Pet owners need to take precautions to protect their animals and themselves.

"One step off the shore and the dog's gone -- and please don't try and chase your dog. It's futile and very very dangerous," Koluk said.

If you do happen to fall through the ice, officials recommend these tips:

• Yell to get the attention of others in the area
• Reach out and grab onto the ice
• Kick hard, and push your stomach onto the ice
• Roll like a log once onto the ice surface
• Don't try to walk to the shore

With a report from CTV Edmonton's Dez Melenka