A Winnipeg Blue Bomber teamed up with a rival CFL player to rescue three dogs from Peguis First Nation, Manitoba.

Running back Brady Oliveira said one of the paramedics working in the flood-ravaged First Nation contacted him to let him know three puppies needed rescuing.

The community, located about 150 kilometers north of Winnipeg, has been under a mandatory evacuation order since Sunday, forcing more than 1,400 people to flee their homes.

Oliveira works with K9 Advocates Manitoba, a non-profit organization that helps First Nations communities deal with stray dog ​​overpopulation.

According to Oliveira, a Peguis resident alerted paramedics that their dog and two puppies remained in the community when they were evacuated. The paramedics had the key to the house and asked Oliveira to bring the dogs back to Winnipeg.

The Blue Bomber performed a number of rescues for the organization, usually alongside his girlfriend. This time she was out of town, so he called on Edmonton Elks wide receiver Shai Ross, a native of Winnipeg.

The two train together off-season, and Oliveira thought he would be the perfect rescue teammate, barring one hitch.

“Shai is actually quite allergic to dogs, so he just took a ton of allergy pills before he got in my truck and before he went out into the community,” Oliveira laughed.

They met community paramedics who took them to the house and gave them the key to enter.

The two had to wade through thigh-high icy water to get to the house.

“The closer you got, you started to see (the dog) on ​​the bridge, then the closer you got, you started to hear her crying and crying and crying, and it was so heartbreaking to know that she didn’t have nowhere to go. It was surrounded by water,” he said.

Brady Oliveira and Shay Ross trudged through thigh-deep water to reach the dogs at a Peguis First Nation home. (Image source: Brady Oliveira)

Together, Oliveira and Ross picked up the mother dog and her two puppies and drove them to Winnipeg.

According to Oliveira, their owner turned them over to K9 Advocates Manitoba. The puppies are currently in foster care.

The dogs will then go to Boxer Rescue Ontario where they will be adopted forever.

Meanwhile, Oliveira is appealing to anyone who is able to donate to a GoFundMe for K9 Advocates Manitoba. Fundraising will help offset the costs of dog rescues and ongoing care.

As for Oliveira, he said it wouldn’t be his last save.

“I will do this until the day I die. I love being a voice for the voiceless, and that’s what keeps me going back and forth, rescue after rescue. It’s just something that’s a passion of mine now,” he said.