Vernon woman and pet both swept down swollen Vernon Creek at dog park

Photo: Jessica Pechet

A Vernon woman is sounding the alarm for other pet owners after both she and her dog were swept away in Vernon Creek.

Jessica Pechet was walking her dog Astro at the Marshall Fields dog park Thursday morning when the pet suddenly disappeared.

"We go there every day," she says.

Astro, a 120-pound Labradoodle, was running ahead and playing with other dogs when he disappeared from sight.

"All of a sudden, nobody could see him," says Pechet.

"He doesn't ever not come when you call him."

After frantically searching for 45 minutes, Pechet was walking by a heavily wooded part of the creek when she heard gasping sounds.

"That's when I lost my footing and ended up in the creek myself," she says.

"I was actually lucky that I got swept to the same spot where Astro was."

That was about 30 feet downstream.

Astro was stuck against a log in the strong current with his collar caught on a branch.

"Nobody knew we were there," says Pechet. "It's a blind spot on the creek."

She was able to get the dog over her shoulders and screamed for help.

Other dog walkers were then able to pull her up the steep creek bank.

Pechet says the water was up to her chin and the current was strong.

She was scraped up by branches in the ordeal, but is just glad both she and Astro are OK.

The pooch was "sleeping it off" Thursday afternoon after the ordeal.

"It happened very quickly, very fast," says Pechet, who wants to warn other dog park users of the danger.

"It could have resulted in the death of a dog or a person."