City Workers Save Puppies Stuck in Drain Pipe

Cheers of joy erupted in Midlothian, Texas when city workers saved puppies who were stuck in a drain pipe for hours.

City workers save puppies stuck in a drain pipe

It all started one-night last month when Sandy Mendez was out in the backyard with her three-month-old puppies, Chub and Snax.

All of a sudden they darted off in the dark. Mendez panicked. “I called out for them and I could hear barking,” she told Watchdog Mary. “Then I saw the pipe and thought, ‘No! They just could not be in there!'”

Unfortunately, that’s right where they were. “I looked and I was like, ‘Oh my god, they’re in there!’ I called them and they would not come out. The puppies were crying. It was awful,” Mendez said.

She quickly called the police who tried to calm her down. “The dispatcher said, ‘Ok ma’am, don’t worry, just tell me where you are,” Mendez said. “I was in tears. I’m like, ‘They’re not coming out. This pipe has dirt on top of it. I need help.'”

Police officers raced over. They tried getting the pups out. No luck. The police called an animal control officer. He tried using a catch pole to scoop the puppies out of the pipe, but it was not long enough to reach them. The pups managed to get stuck about fifteen feet into the pipe.

Drain Pipe Credit: Sandy Mendez

As everyone mulled over ways to get them out the clock was ticking on the pup’s lives. It was cold and at least an hour had gone by.

But city workers were determined to save these puppies. Police officer Aris Geiser tried to help. “Not doing anything was not an option. We were going to get these puppies out,” she told Watchdog Mary. “It broke my heart and was horrifying listening to them cry. The owner was so scared and worried one wasn’t breathing anymore.”

Geiser believes Chub, the chunkier of the pups, plugged the drainpipe so neither pup could move forward, and they did not know they could go in reverse.

The police then called the fire department. Firefighters went to work, digging the pipe out from under the ground. When they dug a hole in the pipe Geiser stuck her hand in while they continued digging. “I felt one lick my hand and I was trying to calm them down and they’d stop crying,” she said.

Chub and Snax
Credit: Sandy Mendez

Finally, nearly three hours later, the puppies were free.  It was all caught on camera. 

Mendez went live on Facebook while it was happening because she was so impressed with how hard Midlothian municipal employees worked to save them. The puppies even licked the faces of their rescuers.

Soon after the pups were saved Mendez brought thank you goodies to the fire station to show her appreciation. She reunited the puppies with their rescuers. “It was amazing,” Mendez said. “I was so overjoyed. They genuinely cared. They made me feel good. They didn’t judge me.”

Firefighters who saved puppies. Credit: Sandy Mendez Back L-R Cpl. Allen Crawford, Ariceila Geiser, Engineer Stacy Rosser, Captain Robert Altman Front L-R FF Lamar Hanks, FF Dustin Beauchamp

And Mendez doesn’t plan on letting the pups get into mischief anytime soon. “They’re not allowed to walk out there anymore. I now take them out on a leash. It really scared me,” she said.

Can’t get enough of Watchdog Mary? Check out how saving an animal’s life is tax deductible.