WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — A 10-month-old dog is safe after city of West Memphis workers rescued him from an 8-foot deep manhole Monday afternoon.
West Memphis Animal Services said a city lawn crew just happened to be working off South Avalon near the Meadows Apartments when they noticed the cover of the manhole was off.
When they looked, they noticed the dog at the bottom.
“He was in standing water, water that came up probably an inch or two on his paws,” said Kerry Facello, director of the West Memphis Animal Shelter.
The workers had no idea how long the dog had been there or how he had gotten there, but their immediate concern was getting him out.
“I didn’t know how to get him out. I didn’t know how we’d get him out,” said Sunday Shanks, with West Memphis Animal Services.
Luckily another city worker just happened to have a long sleeve shirt, which proved the perfect material for a makeshift harness.
“We put the actual, the body part of the shirt around the stomach, tied the sleeves over his back,” said Shanks.
Shanks then lifted the dog while two other workers pulled him up with the shirt.
“When you are able to have such a happy ending and such a happy story, it just renews your energy and what you do every day and it renews your passion,” said Facello.
WREG reached out to the City of West Memphis but hasn’t yet received an explanation as to why the manhole cover was ajar.
