It took three hours in the cold pouring rain to get him but when he finally emerged, hearts melted. The puppy dubbed ‘Piper’ by his rescuers spent most of Friday morning stuck in a drain pipe along Highway 115 in Clarkesville. Judy Gibbs of Clarkesville was the first one to spot him. “I was headed to work and I saw the little pup creeping into the culvert,” she says. Gibbs stopped and tried to get him. “I kneeled down to look and I could see him just sitting there, looking at me. I called him but he wouldn’t come out. He was scared.”
Gibbs dialed 911 but quickly decided to call Animal Control instead. Before she could disconnect the call she says, “The 911 operator heard me talking to myself saying, ‘I need Animal Control,’ and told me they were on their way.” Soon after, a Clarkesville police officer arrived followed by two Animal Control officers. Together, the four of them tried to coax the puppy out of the culvert but that didn’t work, so, they tried using a catch pole. The frightened puppy backed away and fell down the drain.
That’s when this run of the mill dog rescue turned into a herculean effort to save the small puppy’s life.
Not your run of the mill dog rescue
Within thirty minutes, crews from the Clarkesville Fire Department, Public Works/Water Department and the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office were all on the scene directing traffic and working to rescue the helpless puppy from the drain. While fire officials monitored the gas inside the pipe to make sure it was safe, Animal Controll officer Madi Hawkins went home to get her secret weapon. She returned with her rescue dog Norm, affectionately referred to as “tunnel dog.”
Hawkins and Norm went into one rain-soaked manhole as fellow Animal Control officer Wayne Higgins entered another. The plan was to use Norm to flush out the puppy from the water-filled pipe into the manhole where they could reach it. That didn’t work. Norm made several trips through the 180-foot drain pipe. Each time he passed by the puppy they barked at each other but Norm always came out alone.
Animal Control then set up a trap at one end of the pipe hoping the puppy would wander into it. They sent Norm back into the pipe. The stubborn puppy wouldn’t budge.
Change of tactics
After nearly two hours, rescuers changed tactics. The Clarkesville Public Works and Water Department brought in their sewer camera to help locate the puppy. They tried coaxing him out with the cable. That didn’t work.
With options running low, Clarkesville City Water Department Supervisor Jonathan Randall suggested using a roto-rooter type tool that’s used to clear blockages in manholes and sewers. They set the water pressure to around 40 psi and sprayed water around the puppy to try and force him to move (the puppy was not sprayed directly). The stubborn pup wouldn’t budge…until he had to. As Randall pulled back on the hose to try it again the puppy came out with it. Randall jumped into the drain and grabbed him.
In the nick of time
The motley-colored, pit bull mix was rescued in the nick of time. His gums were white, his head was moving slowly, his eyes weren’t moving and his body was stiffening up. “He was close (to dying) because he was so hypothermic,” says Clarkesville Fire Chief Jerry Palmer.
Animal Control rushed ‘Piper’ to the Clarkesville Veterinary Hospital. When he arrived his body temperature was 96 degrees, five degrees below normal for dogs. He was immediately placed on a heating pad and wrapped in towels with a warm water bottle tucked inside. The vet and his assistants checked ‘Piper’s’ vital signs and weight – 8 pounds 3 oz. – they held him and closely monitored him until he was revived.
An army of compassion
As hard as the ordeal was on ‘Piper’ it was also tough on his rescuers. “Those folks put themsvelevs in jeopardy,” Palmer says. “They very easily could have succumbed to hypothermia. It’s 36 degrees and raining hard.” Still, Palmer says it was worth it. “Some people say it’s just getting a dog out of the sewer, but it’s a lot more than that. Certainly our view is, a life is a life. They’re all worth saving.”
“You risk nothing to save nothing, but you take calculated risks to save something.” ~ Clarkesville Fire Chief Jerry Palmer
Palmer says no extra city resources were used in the rescue operation. “The guys that were there were all on duty. All we spent was some elbow grease in some miserable conditions for three hours.”
Chief Palmer praises Randall for his quick thinking and skill. “His tenacity and his knowledge of using that equipment was very instrumental in getting that little dog out of there.” Hawkins, too, showers praise. “Everybody came together in an amazing, amazing effort,” she says. “The City of Clarkesville guys were great!”
The little puppy that wouldn’t becomes the puppy that did
After just two hours at the vet’s office ‘Piper’ was carried to the Animal Shelter where he immediately found a new home. By mid-afternoon Jonathan Randall – the man who pulled ‘Piper’ to safety – and his wife Tiffany had already filed the paperwork to adopt him. They’re now fostering the puppy until his mandated five-day, stray dog hold ends. After that, ‘Piper’ is theirs.
The puppy most likely will get a new name. Randall says he and his wife haven’t settled on one yet but he’s partial to ‘Storm’ or ‘Pub’ (for public works).
While the puppy’s name may be uncertain, his future is not. Nine hours after his ordeal in the drain started he was on his way home to a 3-year old, redheaded girl who’s been begging her dad for a new dog and a family with other furry, four-legged friends.
This puppy who wouldn’t come out of the pipe did find a new home today, but he also did something more: He pulled together an army of individuals who showed our community what cooperation and compassion can do.
