Georgia firefighter rescues puppy trapped in storm drain

A curious puppy had to be rescued recently after getting stuck in a storm drain 15 feet underground.

Cobb County firefighter Dominic Simone pulled the “mischievous” pooch from the drain uninjured on July 22, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services announced in a Facebook post.

Simone is part of a technical rescue team that was called to The 1800 at Barrett Lakes apartment complex in Kennesaw to rescue the pit bull terrier mix. It was unclear how the puppy got in the drain, but it appears he may have fell down an open sewer manhole. Simone said it’s possible the dog crawled in from another opening.

“I’ve got a dog and I love him. I could only imagine if I had lost my puppy, I would hope that somebody could get him back to me,” Simone told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.

According to department officials, a tenant in the apartment complex called for help after they heard something making noise outside.

Fire truck No. 8 responded and heard the puppy whimpering from the bottom of the storm drain. As that crew was trying to spot the dog, they disturbed a nest of yellow jackets that stung several firefighters multiple times. The crew tested the air pressure in the drain and prepared the scene for Squad 16, which specializes in heavy rescues in confined spaces.

When they arrived, Simone climbed down the storm drain and fetched the dog.

“I came up with an idea to put the puppy in some sort of a harness, and it ended up being that we didn’t need the harness,” he said. “I got down there, the puppy was happy to see me. Just pretty much jumped into my arms. So I I grabbed her and just climbed up the ladder with her.”

Firefighters turned the rescued puppy over to Cobb County Animal Services. They closed the manhole to the sewer drain.

Cobb County spokesman Ross Cavitt confirmed that the puppy was reunited with its owners. They could not be immediately contacted for comment. Animal Services did not disclose their identities, citing privacy concerns.

Comments commending Simone and the firefighters for rescuing the puppy have poured in on Facebook.

“It was already a good feeling, especially with everybody that has come out and commented, said what a great job we’re doing here,” Simone said. “And then to hear that the puppy actually got back to the owner, that’s just got to be amazing for them.”