Dog News

Dog Gets Sucked into Drainage Pipe After Flood and Survives

by Katherine

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.

A Charleston, South Carolina family, felt very lucky their home was untouched and undamaged by the recent devastating area floods, but their peace of mind was shaken when their one-year-old black Labrador Retriever named Brees almost lost her life in the flood. Thankfully, the event was just an accident and the dog is back home with her family.

On Oct. 3, 2015, DeLynn Morgan had given her sons permission to go play in the 1 ft of flood water near their home. Morgan’s boys were kayaking in the water and Brees tagged along to enjoy the fun.

The dog is an excellent swimmer and because the water levels were so low the family didn’t think there would be much danger for the boys or the dog to be in the water, but soon after the boys left, 14-year-old Tyler, came back home in a panic state.

Brees
Brees

It appears that as the dog swam along the kayak, a whirlpool formed by a drainage ditch and the pet got pulled by the current and sucked under the water. Tyler tried to catch her but couldn’t and instead of going into the water himself he rushed back home to ask his parents for help.

The Morgans hoped Brees collar had gotten stuck somewhere and they would be able to catch her, but when they got to the drainage ditch there was no dog to be seen. As Steve Morgan searched desperately the waters, his wife DeLynn ran to a nearby creek where the drain dumps the water. Neighbors joined the search and combed the area hopping to rescue and save Brees. Luckily, about 20 min later, a neighbor and seacrh volunteer spotted the pet in a field near the creek and saved her.

According to NBC 2 News, after the dog got sucked into the drain, she made a 90-degree turn to the main drain, traveled 200-250 feet in the pipe, and once released in the creek, she traveled another 300 feet.

Everyone was worried about Brees’s condition and as soon as she was found, she was rushed to a veterinary clinic. There, x-rays and a physical exam were done. Veterinarians feared the dog could suffer from aspiration pneumonia, lung bruising, broken ribs, infections from sewage and possible head trauma, but luckily the pet only suffered minor injuries like cuts and bruises to her face, head and hind limb.

Brees was placed on antibiotics to prevent an infection and was then released home. She is recovering from the scary ordeal and is expected to make a full recovery.

The Morgans learned a valuable lessons, danger is always around the corner. It doesn’t matter how safe a situation might seem.