Dog News

Dog Spends Weekend Trapped in Pipe

by Katherine

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.
140825-Maddy
Maddy trapped inside a drainage pipe

When Maddy, a five-year-old Oakley, Ohio, pet chased after a groundhog, the last thing the dog expected was to be trapped inside a drainage pipe. Unfortunately, her curiosity got her in trouble and she spent 48 hours trapped inside a pipe.

Maddy was out walking with her owner on August 19, 2014, when she suddenly broke loose from her leash and collar and chased the groundhog into the pipe.

“[The pet owner] thought [her dog] had gone through the pipe and ran out the other side and just run off,” District 4 Fire Chief Mike Zimmerman told WLWT.

For hours, the worried dog owner searched for her beloved pet, but came back empty handed. The next day the pet owner went back to the location and checked the pipe, but again did not find her pet. On Monday, 48 hours after Maddy ran off, her owner checked the pipe and this time heard Maddy whining.

Firefighters came to the scene with heavy machinery to rescue the trapped dog. They used specialized equipment to pinpoint the exact location of the dog – 300 feet inside the pipe – and planned to cut the pipe to reach the pet.

“They started a big piece of machinery that was going to cut through another section of the pipe and when that machinery started, the dog came right to the hole and then they were able to grab onto her and pull her out,” Zimmerman said.

Maddy
Maddy

Even though Maddy spent an entire weekend trapped, she had no injuries. Her owner took her to her vet just to make sure the dog had no internal injuries.

Firefighters covered the pipe’s opening to avoid other pets from getting trapped in  there in the future.

Maddy, we are glad you are now back home.