Walkers praised after saving lamb who was chased into freezing Eryri lake by dogs

Two walkers have been praised after rushing into a freezing lake to rescue a lamb who had been chased into the water by dogs in Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).

Tracey Dodd, 54, and her partner Tony Elton, 57, both from Bourne, Lincolnshire, climbed the mountain while staying with his mother in Groeslon, near Caernarfon.

On their descent along the Miners’ Path they heard commotion from a group of onlookers and realised a lamb had sound itself stuck in Llyn Glaslyn.

They waded into the water and managed to get the lamb back land where it was revived during 90 minutes of treatment.

Tracey said: “We asked what was going on and they said three dogs had chased a lamb and it had gone into the tarn.

“We were quite a way up and could only see a small white dot on the water, looking as if it might be a swan. Seagulls were already circling above it, ready to pounce.“It looked as though the lamb had run to a dead end and was left with no option but to jump into the tarn to escape the dogs. As the group was going up, and we were going down, we said we’d do what we could to help.

“The dogs’ owners, a couple, were there and while they were very apologetic, they were making no attempt to rescue the lamb.

“My partner tried to wade in but he came straight out as it was too deep and he was weighed down by his backpack. I’m quite a strong swimmer, so I went in."

“The water was freezing but I managed to reach the lamb, which was gasping and very close to drowning. I swam back with one arm, using the other to pull the lamb along.

Tony dragged him onto the shore. He was fighting for air but his little legs were kicking, so I thought he might still make it.”

The couple spent the next 90 minutes cuddling the lamb and using a spare change of clothes for warm. The owners of the dogs stayed too.

Tracey said: “One came over and said she was so sorry, she didn’t realise there were sheep this far up the mountain. They said what so many other dogs owners say – that their dogs had never done this before.

“After half-an-hour of drying the lamb, he let out a belch, which I took as a good sign. But he was too weak to stand. While we tried to warm him, we could hear cries from a sheep some 40ft above us: as it was the only one around, and was clearly watching us, we thought it must be the lamb’s mother.“So after an hour-and-a-half, Tony carried the lamb to a spot in the sun away from people. He left it there in the hope its mother would find it.”Onlookers had alerted Llanberis Mountain Rescue, which passed the incident to an Eryri warden who arrived closely followed by a farmer who went to check on his lamb.“I don't know what happened next but I hope the lamb is OK,” said Tracey. “If not, at least we tried our best. Since posting images online, we’ve had really nice feedback and hopefully it will reinforce the message that people need to keep dogs on leads when climbing Snowdon.”

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