Dog News

Police Officers Rescue Dog from Drainage Pipe

by Katherine

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Hinsdale, Illinois, received heavy rains at the end of October, and on Halloween day a pet was swept away by rain water, trapping the dog in a drainage pipe. Luckily, the pet was rescued by Hinsdale Police Officers.

On Oct. 31, 2013, Sammy, a 115-pound Bernese mountain dog, was being walked off leash by a woman in Hinsdale’s Katherine Legge Memorial Park. The pet stopped near the park’s creek to take a drink of water, but due to the heavy rains, the stream’s current was accelerated and the dog was carried away.

Officer Matt Miller, officer Louis P. Hayes Jr., officer Tony Maraviglia, and patrol supervisor Tom Yehl assisted in the rescue of Sammy from a stream at KLM Park. Photo Credit: Mark Wodka
Officer Matt Miller, officer Louis P. Hayes Jr., officer Tony Maraviglia, and patrol supervisor Tom Yehl assisted in the rescue of Sammy from a stream at KLM Park. Photo Credit: Mark Wodka

The woman, who works as a nanny for Sammy’s owners, followed the dog until the pet was sucked into a drainage pipe. It was then when authorities were contacted to assist in the rescue.

Deputy Chief Mark Wodka told the Hinsdale Suntimes the drainage pipe runs 1,000 feet underground towards I-294.

Hinsdale and Burr Ridge Police Departments put a plan in motion to locate the dog.

According to city documents, the last discharge point for the drainage pipe is on Illinois Tollway property. This is fenced off from public access, yet Sammy was not found there.

Sammy was near the intersection of Tomlin Drive and Laurie Lane in Burr Ridge. The dog was exhausted and scared. He had suffered some scrapes to his paws but he was walking.

Wodka believes the pipe was not completely filled with water, only about a quarter of the pipe was full and Sammy had enough space to keep her head above water.

Soon after Sammy was found she was reunited with her owners.

“It was a frightening experience for the dog owner, but fortunately this was a good outcome,” Wodka said.

Sammy was taken to a veterinarian and treated for minor injuries.

The incident serves as a reminder for all pet owners to never allow their pets near rushing water bodies off leash.