Wading River volunteer firefighters rescued a dog trapped in a drain pipe at Great Rock Golf Course yesterday afternoon.
A man walking with his 110-pound black lab on the golf course said the dog accidentally slipped down a three-foot embankment into a half-frozen drainage pond adjacent to the 18th hole.
The startled dog inadvertently backed itself into a narrow, 18-inch wide drainage pipe that empties into the pond, according to the dog’s owner, Jim Devaney.
In its frantic attempt to get out of the water, the dog managed to back itself several feet further into the pipe, at which point the dog no longer had enough vertical clearance to use its legs for forward movement to return to the pipe’s open end, the fire department said in a press release.
Unable to free his dog, Devaney called 911.
Despite Devaney’s attempts to calm the panicked dog, Carson continued to thrash about and push himself further back into the pipe.
Wading River Fire Department volunteers — who had been escorting Santa around the community to visit with families and collect donations for the department’s “Stuff-A-Bus” food drive — descended on the golf course.
“With concern about the cold water the dog had fallen into and the air temperature just above freezing, Devaney and the emergency responders knew they had to act quickly. Since the lower half of the pipe was filled with water and the sound of the dog’s frantic breathing was becoming more labored and faint as the dog continued to back itself further into the pipe, a quick effort was made to ascertain the best location to dig ahead of the dog’s current position and to then cut into the pipe to free the dog,” Wading River Fire Department public information officer John Galvin wrote.
Firefighters quickly dug a hole to access the pipe about 50 feet back from the pipe’s opening, hoping the hole was at a point behind where they believed the dog was trapped.
Using a reciprocating saw, firefighters then cut and removed a section of the top of the drainage pipe — located about four feet below the surface — and were relieved to find Carson within a foot or two of the newly opened rescue hole.
Carson then backed up to the opening, where he enthusiastically met Devaney, who helped the dog up to the surface.
“Carson was evaluated on scene and found to be in good condition given his misadventure,” according to the press release.
All on-scene emergency personnel were placed back into service to rejoin the Santa escort.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
