Dog Survives the Big Bad Manhole
Published: May 15, 2006
Duece, a 5-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, came out smelly, but otherwise unhurt after falling 40-feet and spending three hours floating in sewage.
“Man, I can’t tell you how relieved I feel,” said Duece’s owner J.D. Savage, scratching the head of his dog.
The dog fell into the hole after his owners let him run with their three other dogs in a field. The field is covered in 3-foot tall grass and wildflowers, hiding the uncovered sewage manhole.
Shreveport fire personnel set up a pulley system over the hole using the ladder from a fire truck. Capt. John Davis rappelled into the dark pipe in full biohazard gear as Duece peered upward — with little visible other than the light reflected from his eyes.
Once Davis reached the dog, his fellow firefighters dropped mesh and bags into the hole. After about 20 minutes of maneuvering, firefighters heave-hoed and Davis and Duece emerged.
Duece appeared to be OK once he was out of the hole. And the Savages said a trip to an emergency veterinary clinic found the dog to be fine.
A large tractor mowing the field could have easily knocked the top off the manhole, fire Capt. David Dice said. Some manhole tops also have been stolen to be sold for scrap metal recently, he said.
City sewage workers on Friday put a wooden grate over the opening as a temporary cover and cordoned off the area with tape.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: