Volunteers, Racine Fire Department rescue trapped dog from storm drain

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It was all hands on deck Monday, July 4 at the corner of Prospect and Jefferson in Racine after a dog was found trapped in a storm drain.

"I've helped DPW with ducklings in a sewer before but this was quite different," said Kristin Wilson, executive director of Billy's Posse, a non-profit that focuses on lost dogs. "This was a dog we knew had been running around for about five months in the park, here."

The dog, a mixed-breed female that has since been named Midnight, was able to crawl into the storm drain through an entrance at nearby Lincoln Park. Neighbors in the area had heard the dog trapped in the drain since Saturday, July 2. On Monday, Wilson put out a post on Facebook calling on volunteers to help rescue the dogs before storms rolled in that evening.

"She was stuck, literally stuck in the storm sewer," Wilson said. "So many people just dropped everything."

One of the people who answered the call for help was Danny Fucile, a captain with the Southern Waukesha County K9 Search and Rescue Team, a non-profit that specializes in helping locate missing people.

"Being on a K9 search and rescue team, 'Man's Best Friend' hits home," Fucile said. "Finding that dog and making sure that it was out was our goal, and there was no way we were going to go home without doing that."

Fucile and dozens of other community members were able to remove the drain cover and began their efforts to try and get the dog to allow them to tie it up and carry it out. Eventually, the Racine Fire Department was flagged down to assist with the efforts, spraying water from a nearby drain that forced the dog toward the rescuers.

"We just happened to be in the right place, right time and were able to help," said Alex Madisen, a driver and operator with the Racine Fire Department. "Of the 20 people that were there, everybody was willing to help. Everybody was putting in work."

It was the willingness of everyone involved to drop what they were doing, on a holiday, that stood out to Billy's Posse founder Pam Avery.

"It was heartwarming. It was touching," Avery said. "It was a total success story. Just happy for all of us just to be able to do something for her."

After hours of effort, Midnight was rescued from the whole without major injury. She was sedated by the team from Dr. Schmid's Mobile Veterinary Practice and taken to the Wisconsin Humane Society where she is currently being held as part of a 'Stray Hold' period. If an owner is not located, WHS will attempt to find Midnight a new owner.

"We got her out safely and without injury and that was the main goal," Wilson said. "I have some high hopes for this girl."