Zoey the Lab got stuck in a storm drain. Arlington firefighters dug up street to save her
Zoey isn’t an escape artist. In the 15 years Andrea Tankersley has been the mostly-Labrador retriever’s human, Zoey has only left home unaccompanied around three times, and she always found her way home.
So when Tankersley couldn’t find Zoey on Thursday evening, she assumed the dog was out exploring the neighborhood after curiosity got the best of her. It wasn’t until Saturday that Zoey was located, stuck in the storm drain system on Kelly Elliott Road in Tankersley’s South Arlington neighborhood.
Arlington firefighters came out to the neighborhood around 11 a.m. Saturday after a neighbor heard Zoey barking in the pipes underneath the street and, using a camera, found the dog before getting to work on a rescue mission. Eventually, firefighters had to cut out a portion of the street to get to Zoey and, after about 12 hours of work, the pup was home with her family.
But no matter how long it took or how hot it was outside, Tankersley said, the firefighters were completely devoted to getting her furry friend out.
“Failure was not an option for the firefighters,” Tankersley said. “Zoey was coming back home safely, one way or another.”
Being deaf and having mobility issues, Zoey was in a precarious position. Her humans couldn’t call out for her and, being hot, tired and thirsty, she wasn’t doing anything to find her own way out.
Her rescuers tried first to crawl into the storm drain system to pull Zoey out, but the pipes were too narrow and there was too much debris. They tried to coax her out, but since she couldn’t hear and was worn out, that didn’t work. So, finally, firefighters decided the best course of action was to dig a hole in the street and get her out that way.
“Zoey was over 400 feet from the nearest entrance into the storm drain,” the fire department wrote in a Facebook post. “Crews had to remove concrete and access the pipe. Zoey was removed at 10:42 p.m. and taken to an Animal Medical Center.” She was returned to her family after being checked out.
The fire department thanked the city’s police, public works and animal services departments for their help.
Seeing the firefighters work was surreal and awe-inspiring, Tankersley said, and a reminder that first responders deserve support from the communities they serve.
“The fire department and police deserve so much more than we ever think of giving them,” Tankersley said. “I think this is a good reminder that it’s important to reach out to local police and firefighters and offer support and aid in any way we can. We don’t want them to be overlooked.”
It’s also a powerful lesson in remembering to keep an eye on pets, especially during the summer when getting lost can be even more dangerous for them.
The firefighters Saturday were the second group to rescue Zoey. Tankersley’s family was the first, taking the “mostly Lab” from a shelter in Oklahoma almost 15 years ago, when she was estimated to be about 6 months old.
“She was the sweetest, calmest puppy in the pound,” Tankersley said. “She’s still very mild mannered and friendly, so we were hopeful that someone had picked her up.”
Finding her in the drains provided short-lived relief, but Tankersley said she almost immediately realized how scared and tired Zoey must have been at that point.
“Not being able to get to her, you know she’s afraid and hungry and thirsty and you don’t want that for her,” Tankersley said.
But Zoey is safe now, Tankersley said. She’s still tired and recovering from her escapade but she’s been able to get up and walk around.
That’s in large part due to the efforts of the community, too, Tankersley said. When neighbors found out Zoey was missing, they started searching. It was a neighbor who heard Zoey in the drains and helped firefighters find her.
“The support from the neighborhood, the investment in this neighborhood dog was inspiring,” Tankersley said. “We can’t tell them how thankful we are. I just hope they’ve learned the same important lessons we did so something like this doesn’t happen again.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 7:01 PM.