Rescuers came to the aid of a small dog trapped in a storm drain in Los Angeles on June 23. According to KTLA 5, the extraction took several hours and required assistance from multiple crews.
Dog pulled from storm drain by rescue crews
On Friday afternoon, residents of Avocado Heights noticed a stray dog running through the neighborhood and hiding under a car near Belgreen Drive.
“It tried to snap when it came close to getting a hold of him,” Gregory Marquez told the news outlet.
Around 4 p.m., the dog got stuck in a storm drain on the 1500 block of South Delamare Drive. That’s when neighbors alerted authorities.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived first. Initially, a firefighter dropped into the drain to locate the dog. However, he soon emerged empty-handed. Then, an urban search-and-rescue team arrived. But the dog remained stuck.
“We tried food, we tried water, we tried to sweet talk him,” Denice Lopez of L.A. County Fire said. “He was scared. Every time we tried to grab him, he’d run back into the tunnel and so we were able to just grab him and pull him back out.”
Next, crew members tried dropping a long dog harness into the sewer drain. They tied snacks, including three slices of bacon and five hotdogs, to the rope. Even that didn’t tempt the little pup.
After the three rescue attempts failed, yet another firefighter entered the drain. After a total of two hours, the small dog finally saw the light of day. When the pup emerged above ground, neighbors who gathered to watch the ordeal greeted the dog with applause. Rescuers provided water for the fur baby.
Unidentified dog in care of animal control
While the 12-pound mixed-breed pup was wearing a collar, it did not have an ID tag. The black pup, which appears to be a senior dog, was deemed to be in good health.
L.A. County Animal Control is caring for the dog. If a pet parent doesn’t step forward to claim the pooch within 10-15 days, he will become eligible for adoption.
