Golden retriever rescued from open sewer in Centurion

A golden retriever was rescued from a manhole in Clubview on Wednesday night, when community members had to hoist the large dog from a manhole in Vale Avenue.

Ward councillor Ina Strijdom said missing manhole covers were not new to the area as she said it grappled with theft of the covers on a daily basis.

“I have already asked for it to be replaced,” she told Pretoria Rekord on Thursday morning.

The retriever was found on Wednesday evening by a resident walking their dog.

According to CPF member and pet physio Heather Whitfield, the resident heard sounds coming from the sewage manhole.

They investigated and found the retriever about 4m down the hole.

“He was covered in what seemed like sewage, oil and mud and the smell was unbearable,” said Whitfield.

“It seemed like the dog was stuck there for a considerable time already.”

Whitfield said when she arrived, residents had climbed down the hole and had to come up with a strategy to hoist the heavy retriever out.

They tied towels supplied by the community members into a sling and carefully lifted the dog to safety.

“Thankfully, with the community working together, we got him out.”

The dog couldn’t have fallen into better hands as Whitfield rushed it back to her facility.

“Our first aim was to see if he could walk (which he could), look for obvious injuries and then to clean him.”

Due to the dog’s condition, Whitfield said she struggled to identify any obvious injury.

After an hour of hard work, Whitfield said the residue was still not coming off.

“On Thursday morning, my friends from Little Companion Dog Grooming arrived to do their magic. He was shaved, bathed, and got a treatment fit for a king,” she said.

She said the trauma and risks associated with the sewage and oil necessitated veterinary attention as there were concerns about the retriever’s exposure to E. coli.

“An E. coli infection in a dog can quickly progress to sepsis, which is a medical emergency.”