Puppy rescued from basement drain

DETROIT, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Detroit said a puppy spent 12 hours stuck in a basement drain before it was rescued.

Kevin Hatman, a spokesman for the Michigan Humane Society, said the group received a call around 8 a.m. Thursday from a homeowner who said the dog, believed to be a dachshund mix about 1-2 months old, apparently crawled into the basement drain sometime Wednesday night and found itself unable to wiggle free, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

Hatman said Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society rescue crews responded and worked with a plumbing company and Aaron's Excavating Inc. of Waterford Township. They dug a 7-foot-deep trench to free the canine, which traveled about 15 feet from the drain opening and became wedged within the pipe that connects to a storm drain line beneath the house.

The spokesman said the puppy was freed around 5:30 p.m. and was "a little cold, a little hungry but in good condition considering his ordeal."