Firefighters come to Newmarket goldendoodle's rescue after dog falls down uncovered storm drain hole

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 2, 2023

My three-year-old goldendoodle, Piper, now has a group of heroes.

A team of Central York Fire Services firefighters came to her rescue on the afternoon of Jan. 31.

I was taking Piper for a walk along a popular trail that runs off Walpole Crescent in the area of Bayview Avenue and Mulock Drive. The area had been fenced off by the town for several months last year during remedial work on the wetlands.

It reopened several weeks ago.

On an extended leash, Piper was having a great time bounding through the snow.

As she was running, she leapt over a small snowbank to get back on the path and then fell through a large hole with no cover into a storm drain. Anyone, including a child, could have easily fallen through it.

Piper fell about 15 feet onto a concrete floor below.

I yelled out for help and fortunately a woman, who was on the phone ahead of me came back.

Piper lay shivering on the concrete below. She didn’t move, didn’t even look up at me as I spoke to her.

Was she injured? Did she have a broken leg or a spinal injury? I was getting more and more upset.

She wasn’t sure she should make the call. Both of us had phones with low batteries that could die at any moment and we were unable to remember a non-emergency number. I asked her to call and said I would take any blame or charges that might result.

The woman spoke to a couple of people and tried to explain where we were. I eventually asked for her phone because I knew how to direct them.

Someone I spoke to told me a couple of times a fire captain would have to be consulted first to determine if crews would come out.

I grew even more agitated.

If they wouldn’t help, was I supposed to climb down into the hole to get Piper out? Would I be able to carry a potentially injured 55-pound dog? Would I have to try dragging her by her leash and hope I didn’t choke her to death? And how could this big drain have been left open when anyone could fall down it? Was it possible water could flow through the pipe and carry Piper away?

Thankfully, a fire truck soon arrived carrying Piper’s heroes: firefighters Cole Fullerton, Brad Humfryes, Liam Milliken and Gio Mallia.

Fullerton went down into the drain and carried Piper up, passing her to the other firefighters as she emerged.

Fortunately, Piper was OK and accepted pats from the firefighters.

My nerves took longer to recover.

The firefighters found a nearby drain hole cover and embedded it in the ground. They covered it with snow so it looked as if it had been there for a long time. Orange cones were placed around the hole and someone from the town was called to deal with the dangerous situation.

A grateful Piper and I walked home.