UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Dog helps rescue man from septic tank

|
 
Published: Sept. 30, 2009 at 1:51 PM

CINCINNATI, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- An 80-year-old man was rescued from a septic tank in Delhi Township, Ohio, after a dog alerted others to the man's predicament, the dog's owner says.

Stacey Walsh said when she came to investigate unusual barking by her 9-year-old dog Murphy on Tuesday, she found her elderly neighbor trapped inside a 15-foot deep septic tank, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

"He was barking like he was being attacked -- like he's never barked before," said Walsh, who identified the senior citizen as Paul Paff. "He was pointed in the direction of the hole. Then we heard Mr. Paff yelling for help."

After rescuers spent hours removing waste from the septic tank, Paff was rescued using a rope and pulley system. He was then decontaminated and taken to an area hospital where he reportedly was in stable condition.

"It may have been as long as 3 1/2 hours before he was discovered... so he was in the hole five to six hours," Delhi Township Fire Chief Bill Zoz told the Enquirer of Tuesday's accident. "The rescuers commented he was a pretty tough old guy -- friendly."

The cause of the accident was not reported.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 17
Tornado recover efforts underway in Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin talks to victims from the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, May 22, 2013. The EF-5 tornado cut a path of destruction approximately 17 miles by 1.3 miles wide and left 24 people dead. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
First female amputee to climb Everest looks forward to final leg
Montreal mom arrested for stabbing man who attacked son says she'd do it again. Finally, an arrested...
The 2013 hantavirus season officially kicks off in Arizona, EVERYBODY PANIC
Doodle 4 Google's national winner. A very compelling, very moving image from a young artist. Never...
Standardized tests show our children isn't learning in voucher schools
AAA: expect less traffic this Memorial Day weekend