Local pup saved from pipe

A LOCAL puppy escaped a horrible death when his owners and a dedicated, animal-loving plumber saved him from a pipe recently.

On Saturday, 7 June Tracey Townsend and her family were devastated when their puppy, Jake, fell down a drain pipe that runs from the back of their house to the front of the house, which is about 30 metres long.

“Unfortunately, the puppy was too far down the drain and was impossible to reach,” Tracey said.

But when Tracey called Jonathan Meyer from Steve Wells Plumbers, who had done some work at their home, he rushed to their house to help the family’s little pup.

“Once he got to the house, Jonathan starting digging quite a few holes and made openings in the piping. We were concerned that the puppy had made his way to the main stormwater drain in the road and we were about to accept defeat,” she added.

But Jonathan was not prepared to give up: “My husband decided to microwave a bit of chicken fat and inserted it into one of the holes hoping that the puppy would turn around and make his way back up the pipe. Amazingly this seemed to work and the chubby puppy managed to turn around in the pipe and made his way close to one of the openings. My husband was able to grab the pup and pull him out,” Tracey said.

When asked how they felt when the puppy was freed from his impending death, Tracey said: “It was an absolute joyous occasion!”

She thanked Jonathan for changing his plans to assist them immediately: “We need more people like you in this world. God Bless you!”

Jake was given a bath and reunited with his mom and siblings. He is back to his normal mischievous and playful self.