Hero Cop Adopts Dog Rescued From Drain
Puddles might be a name given to a dog that isn’t properly house-trained or disobeys when its owner tells it not to splash in water. But for one St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputy and his family, the name was perfect for the puppy he and a colleague rescued from a septic drain last month. The drain was a couple of feet deep. Officers from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in Florida were leaving a call when they heard something that made them stop: whimpering that was practically imperceptible, coming from a septic drain. Deputy Troy Glover of the Sheriff’s Office civil division went to a home in the 3500 block of Sloan Road in Fort Pierce to complete an eviction there, Gettings said.
As Glover was checking the property, he heard the whimpers of a dog behind the home. In a muddy hole filled with dirty water, he found the trapped puppy. While the dog wanted to get out of the drain, it became agitated when the deputy approached, Gettings said. That’s when Glover called Gettings for help. He said: “He had been balancing on his back legs to keep his head above the water. I don’t know how long he had been in there.
His hind legs weren’t working once we pulled him out. I keep a catch pole in my patrol car. After, I safely pulled the pooch out of the muck and drove him to the Humane Society of St. Lucie County’s Fort Pierce location. They had to give him several baths. He smelled pretty bad.” The staff there also checked the dog for pneumonia, hypothermia, and infections, said David Lynch, public information officer for the Humane Society.
Lynch said: “We were also concerned about psychological issues. Sometimes puppies that have been abandoned show issues, but nothing could keep Puddles down. He was a happy dog.” Humane Society staff also neutered the puppy and gave him vaccinations. After all that was done, the puppy was clean, able to walk again, and given a clean bill of health. They determined Puddles is just a few months old. Lynch said: “We’ve had dogs that were found in garbage compactors and trash, but it’s not often we’ve had one found in a septic drain.” The Sheriff’s Office shared Puddles’ story on its Facebook page Tuesday, including a photo of the dog trapped in the drain.
The Department of Health has been in contact with the landlord of the property on Sloan Road about covering up the septic drain, Gettings said. Since the Humane Society was unable to find the puppy’s previous owner, Gettings took him into foster care a few days later and subsequently adopted him. Puddles joins a family that includes Gettings’ wife Rachael Gettings, their 2-year-old daughter Evelyn, and their basset hound, Lacie. Gettings said: “Puddles mostly likes to lounge around. He loves being home.”