“[She] kept going further and further into the drain …” 😳
When a group of puppies recently found themselves trapped underground, lost in a sewer system beneath San Antonio, Texas, they began barking, hoping someone might hear them.
“The puppies could be heard howling and crying from the street,” Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for San Antonio Animal Care Services, told The Dodo.
Soon, rescuers from the San Antonio Fire Department and San Antonio Water System were on the scene, removing two of the puppies fairly quickly. But one puppy, later named Damsel, was still hopelessly stuck.
“Damsel apparently got very scared and kept going further and further into the drain until she actually hit the main sewer line,” Norwood said. “This was very concerning because the main sewer line is always in use and filled with wastewater and raw sewage.”
Rescuers used robotic cameras and imaging equipment to locate Damsel within the piping. Finally, they found her beneath a manhole. The team removed the manhole cover, lowered a bucket into the darkness and used a robotic camera to gently scoot the pup toward the bucket, to safety.
Back on land, Damsel was handed to an animal care officer with San Antonio Animal Care Services, who rushed her to an overnight emergency clinic.
“She was quiet, trembling and tired from her ordeal,” Norwood said. “Plus, she didn’t smell too great!”
Thankfully, veterinarians soon confirmed the 6-week-old pup was okay.
These days, Damsel is safe with her loving foster mom, who’s making sure the pup has everything she needs to thrive. It’s clear that Damsel’s days of feeling lost and afraid are over for good.
“Damsel may have had a rough start,” Norwood said. “But she very quickly got her happy ending.”
