The Kloof and Highway SPCA received a call in late October regarding a small animal that had become entrapped. The night before, fireworks had filled the sky in celebration of Diwali, and the claps and booms had sent a scared dog named Pip into an open drainpipe in search of safety.
When the puppy’s family heard little cries echoing from the pipe, they realized she was missing. They tried to entice her out, but Pip refused. “We tried up until 9 p.m. or so,” Ndonie Shezi, one of Pip’s owners, told The Dodo. “We all
hardly slept, and by 5 a.m., we were up trying again to rescue her.”
When their efforts were futile, Petros Simamane, an inspector for the Kloof and Highway SPCA, stepped in. To pull her out, Simamane realized he’ll have to dig into the ground and cut the pipe. He went to get a shovel and pickaxe, but when he returned, the dog had moved deeper into the drain.
“She was going in reverse, going backward,” Simamane told the Dodo. “In the pipe, there was also a drop, so I think she fell into the drop, where she could not climb up.” Simamane recognized the importance of a drain camera. But he required a plumber to have access to the specialized equipment. So he called Ganga Plumbers, a local company, to see if they might assist him.
When Simamane called, Rishi Haripersad of Ganga Plumbers had another job planned up. When Haripersad informed management about the puppy stuck in the drain, the company’s director gave him the go-ahead to assist. “The director himself said, ‘Let’ pause all the work. Let’s go help rescue this puppy,’” Haripersad told The Dodo.
Haripersad snagged the camera and slid it down the drain. Pipe’s wide-eyed visage appeared on the screen is around 60 feet in. The drainpipe, it turned out, had another entrance on the other side of a fence, where they could start digging.
Simamane finally got Pip out of the drain after hours of effort. The puppy was mud-caked and weary. Fortunately, she began to feel better after a warm bath, a dinner, a vet examination, and lots of cuddles.
Pip has returned home to the loving arms of her family after spending time rehabilitating at the shelter.
Haripersad was overjoyed to help with the rescue, saying, “It’s quite satisfying to know we’ve helped a helpless pup.” Pip has grown into a healthy, happy girl in just a few weeks – and is now too big to squeeze inside a drainpipe ever again.
Source: The Dodo
