Joggers rescue puppy from drainage pipe

“It’s so dark and the water is too deep for me everywhere I try to find a way out. I don’t know whether to go forward or backward or which turn to take or if I will ever find a way out.”

Do you think puppies pray? If they do, this one surely had every reason to hope there was an answer to his desperate condition. He must have been very, very scared.

We don’t know for how long this little fellow had been traveling the maze created by the complex system of pipes that make up the city’s storm drain system. How did this little one get into this underground waterway? We don’t know that either but fortunately it was not a night of torrential rain that can send water rushing through those pipes with unbridled fury. There was standing water and no place to lie down and rest, but thankfully, no total flooding.

Above ground much of Marion is still asleep, or perhaps eating breakfast, or getting dressed if they have an early job. However, there are some who are dedicated early morning runners. That is what they do every morning. Some run in a group – perhaps four or five, arriving within minutes of each other until all are there to run together their accustomed laps around the half-mile of Harmon Park, just blocks from downtown Marion.

This particular morning, a couple – Karen and Perry Grice were the first whose running shoes sent vibrations underground, down to the formerly quiet, dark, water ladenconnection of pipes, where a frightened puppy could only wonder what those vibrations meant. His hopes lifted as he let out cries for help. Karen and Perry heard his cries but couldn’t be sure of the location. As others arrived, they also heard it. Among them were Rusty Doyle, Mike Meetze, Mike Steinbar and Tim Pogue, who recognized that the sound must have been coming from the underground storm drainpipes.

Everyone wanted to help but didn’t know what to do until they could find out exactly where the cries were coming from, especially with there being nine grate-covered sewers around the park’s circumference. One person, Amy Mendes, had her cell phone with her and called 911.

Soon, a policeman that is also the animal control officer Dennis Brown, along with city street manager Ronnie Sanders and others who had gotten the emergency response call arrived on the scene to see how they could help.

The crucial breakthrough came when someone actually spotted the puppy at the sewer opening at Evans Road and Harmon Park.

Rusty, Steinbar and Perry Grice managed to lift the grate off the drain and with Mike’s flashlight, were able to see into the pipe. The puppy retreated farther back into the pipe. Mike Meetze said, “You could tell he was scared of us but he wanted out of that pipe.”

Rusty decided to lie face down on the pavement and hang over the end of the pipe to see if he could reach out and grab the puppy while Meetze held onto his legs to keep him from falling in. His reach was not quite enough. Then Meetz tried the same maneuver with Rusty holding his legs. This time it worked, but the puppy struggled loose and fell into the water. As the puppy tried to swim, Meetze got hold of him again and this time was able to bring him all the way out.

Officer Brown had gotten a blanket from his truck and wrapped the shivering puppy securely in his arms and was soon on his way to the custody of Jennifer Nall and the care now being given at Paws to the Rescue/ Marion Animal Shelter.

Deworming and all appropriate immunizations were administered by loving hands and before long this once unlucky, now very lucky puppy was in line to be selected by a Rescue in Rhode Island.

Temporarily in a caring foster family, he will await his new home.

So, that’s our end of this story, except that it shows Marion to be a place where there are
Many, many people – citizens and officials alike – who showed true compassion “unto the least of these.”