DC firefighter crawls into storm drain to rescue dog

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Firefighters in Washington, D.C., wiggled into a storm drain to save a black Labrador retriever that had been trapped for several hours.

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The dog, named Brady, was stuck in the drain, which was about 2 feet in diameter, The Washington Post reported. The firefighter chosen to retrieve the Lab, Matt Owen of D.C. Rescue Squad 2, was the slimmest member of the rescue squad, the newspaper reported.

Fire Department spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said that more than a half dozen rescuers worked to get Brady out of the drain, WUSA reported.

Brady’s owner thought the dog had been in the drain for several hours before the fire department was notified about 7:40 p.m., Maggiolo said. The drain is about 100 yards into the woods, the Post reported.

The dog’s barking tipped the rescue squad to the animal’s whereabouts, the newspaper reported.

Water was flowing in the pipe and Owen crawled about 40 feet into it, Maggiolo told the Post. Video posted by the fire department showed Brady splashing out of the pipe, tail wagging.

“I think the dog was ready to come out,” Maggiolo told the newspaper.

Cox Media Group