FALMOUTH, Maine — Falmouth Fire-EMS Department received a call from a resident at OceanView in Falmouth Wednesday morning reporting that their dog was trapped in a storm drain.
Crews found Georgie, an 11-year old Australian Shephard, with her head sticking out of a pipe approximately 6-feet below ground in a catch basin at the corner of Marion Way and Whipple Farm Way.
The dog had been missing overnight and wasn’t found until a passerby heard the dog whimpering from the hole. A crowd of neighbors gathered and maintenance staff from OceanView were on site.
The maintenance staff was able to point out the exact location of the dog as well as the suspected entry point into the collection system a few hundred feet away.
A tripod, fall protection, and hauling system were set up by Falmouth responders. The area below ground was inspected and metered for potential oxygen deficiency, and once deemed safe, entry was made by lowering one of the wastewater technicians into the hole. A folding ladder was also placed inside the hole.
Georgie was timid but eventually coaxed to come out of the pipe and into the arms of the rescuer. Once secured, the rescuer and wet dog were hauled up out of the hole using the lift system and the tripod.
The dog was toweled off and happily went with her owners. The hole was closed up and all Wastewater and Falmouth Fire-EMS units were back in service by 10 a.m.
