City crews respond in a big way to save one small puppy
By: Britt Clampitt, Charlotte Communications & Marketing
When the owners of a five-week-old toy poodle reported their pet had fallen into a sewer clean out pipe in their Ballantyne yard last week, multiple city responders sprang into action to rescue the pup.
The call came into Charlotte Fire Station 32 the morning of Thursday, July 12. Firefighters and Charlotte Water crews worked together to retrieve Monet Junior, known as MJ, from her precarious position, stuck six feet down in a sewer pipe that turned toward the city’s main line along the 9900 block of Evergreen Drive.
We treated it just like any other rescue,” said Fire Station 32 Captain Charlie Horne. “We just walked through methodically and hit all of our checkpoints; we educated the homeowners on exactly what we were doing.”
It was business as usual for the experienced Charlotte Water crews, who looked at the situation and identified other utilities in the area before digging. They proceeded with plans to rescue MJ from the side by digging down into the street and accessing the main line.
Snaking a camera through the pipe, Fire Station 32’s hazmat team and Charlotte Water assessed the length and depth of the physical response area and tracked MJ to ensure she was safe from harmful gases and other hazards. Not only was she safe, but active in the pipe despite being trapped.
Preparing to dig, Charlotte Water installed a trench box in the street to shore up the soil and prevent cave-ins. Crews alternated between hand digging, excavating a couple of feet of soil and probing the area to check the pipe, until they reached the necessary depth of eight feet to retrieve MJ. Throughout the incident, Charlotte Fire stood by to oversee the rescue efforts and monitor the safety of responders as well as the puppy. Finally, after careful work over a couple of hours, crews were able to open a section of pipe, coax MJ out using the camera and reunite her with her grateful family.
“This is what we do on a normal basis, the way the work is designed,” said William Lee, who manages the Charlotte Water responders, “but, the reward was the puppy was still alive and they were able to retrieve it. So the guys got their kudos and it was like a badge they put on their chests that day.”
“I just really have to give a final shout out to the water department,” said Horne. “It was just a real pleasure working together and it went seamlessly. Those guys stepped up and did a phenomenal job and brought a lot to bear and showed a high level of professionalism.”
This wasn’t the last of the city’s rapid response to the situation. As with standard pipe maintenance that requires crews to dig into a street, Charlotte Water worked with the Charlotte Department of Transportation to ensure the pipe was repaired and the road repaved well and quickly.
Thanks to great work and collaboration by crews from across the city, MJ is now back home with her family, a cap has been installed on the sewer clean out pipe and drivers can freely access the street.
Way to go Team Charlotte!
