JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — On Monday around noon, Fayette Regional Humane Society (FRHS) humane agents received a call from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office communication center about a dog stuck in a drainpipe.
While two Suburban Propane employees were traveling down Moon Evans Road located in Jefferson Township in Northwest Fayette County, they found a beagle dog roaming on the side of the road. When they stopped to check for an identification tag on the dog, the men heard the sounds of another dog barking from the inside of a drainpipe in a ditch and called for help.
FRHS humane agents and dog wardens with the Fayette County Dog Shelter responded and found a beagle wedged inside of the drainpipe along with a groundhog, and both animals were nose to nose. While the groundhog was able to move around, the dog was having a difficult time.
“The pipe was about 120 feet long and both animals were about 10 feet in from the opening, making it difficult for our snare devices to reach the needed length to pull them out,” said Brad Adams, chief humane agent
The humane agents and dog wardens were unsure how long the dog had been in the pipe without access to water or if the dog had any injuries, and without the equipment needed to remove the dog, they began calling other departments for additional help.
“While Dog Warden Prater was on the phone with the engineer’s office, I was on the phone with Jefferson Township Fire and EMS asking for assistance,” said Adams
It wasn’t long afterward, members from the Jefferson Township Fire and EMS, engineer’s office, and the township arrived in a team effort to help.
“I cannot thank all of the men and women from the fire and ems as well as the guys from the engineer’s office and the township for jumping right in to assist. The rescue wouldn’t have been as successful or as quick without everyone involved, and because the guys from Suburban Propane were caring enough to stop and check on a loose dog, they were also instrumental by being a voice for an animal in need,” said Adams
As for the groundhog, it seemed to be unharmed and it was determined that it could easily exit when it no longer felt threatened by all of the people and noise. The dog didn’t seem to be in distress and was returned to its owner.
