Chattanooga firefighters rig up a tripod and attach a harness to Capt. Tallent before lowering him down into the drain. Ms. Wallace (in yellow T-shirt) stands nearby to watch the rescue operation.
photo by Capt. Chris Fryar
A neighborhood cat led a pet dog into some real trouble overnight. Adrian Wallace, who lives in Cromwell Hill Apartments, said her four-month-old dog "Kiwi" chased a cat into a storm drain around midnight on Saturday night. The dog fell approximately 30 feet to the bottom of the drain and could not get out. Ms. Wallace said she could hear the dog whimpering and she didn't know what to do.
In the morning, she called 911 to see if anyone could help. Brandon Bennett with the McKamey Animal Center responded, and he tried to reach the dog with a long pole, but couldn't get close.
So the Chattanooga Fire Department was called in shortly after 11 a.m. There was no way the dog was going to get out on its own, so Battalion Chief Winston Shields called for the department's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, which has a group of firefighters who have special training and equipment for rescue operations.
Capt. David Tallent, an instructor with the USAR team, was lowered to the bottom of the storm drain. Capt. Tallent said Kiwi came right to him, and then they were both lifted back up by fellow firefighters.
Capt. Tallent said it was amazing that Kiwi did not appear to be injured from the 30-foot fall.
Ms. Wallace expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the firefighters for taking the time to rescue Kiwi.
The rescued dog, Kiwi, appeared to be tired, but otherwise uninjured from the experience.
photo by Capt. Chris Fryar