Sep 14, 2008 10:04 am US/Central
Firefighters Rescue Puppies From Drain
JOLIET, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Two 6-week-old puppies, lost deep in an underground drain tile, were rescued Saturday by firefighters, city employees and animal control workers in Joliet.
Firefighters responded to a call on Saturday afternoon in the 1000 block of Hacker Avenue, said Capt. Tom Douglas of the Joliet Fire Department. Two puppies had escaped from a litter of eight at the home and had fallen into a drain tile, he said.
The tile was only 4 inches in diameter and 4 feet deep in the ground, Douglas said. It was an old tile, formerly used as downspout, but no longer in use, he said.
The rescue, which lasted from 2:15 to 7:30 p.m., was a difficult effort complicated by a rainy day.
"We're digging in mud -- my crew and the street department -- and it's just a mess," Douglas said.
When firefighters arrived, the dog's owner informed them of the two lost puppies.
"We went over to the tile, and we heard the puppies crying," Douglas said.
Douglas quickly notified Battalion Chief Terry Mangun, the city public works department and Joliet Township Animal Control.
A team of firefighters, street department workers, sewer and water department employees and animal control workers assembled and began the effort.
They dug into the ground and inserted a small camera into the drain tile, trying to locate the puppies. Animal control workers suggested the puppies' mother be brought to the site. When the mother was brought near, one puppy came out of the tile, Douglas said.
The camera was on a small frame resembling a truck with wheels, rolling through the tile in search of the puppy, Douglas said. It sent an image back to a video screen in a nearby van. Eventually workers were able to see the puppy, he said.
"And there it is, this poor little puppy, stuck 15 feet down toward the street," Douglas said.
Coordinating with workers watching the video mage in the van, Lt. Neal Kruchten used a jawslike device to search through the tile and grab for the lost animal. After much coordination, he eventually got ahold of the puppy.
"Once he grabbed that puppy, everybody jumped for joy," Douglas said. "I've been on the job 20 years, and I've never felt such a good feeling as when we got that puppy out."
--Herald News
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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