This rescued dog was trapped in a drain pipe for over a week: 'Nothing short of a miracle':

6ABC Action News reports that a week after the 8-year-old coonhound Dylan went missing, a neighbour heard barking coming from the drain pipe near the dog's foster home. All the attempts to coax the trapped animal back from the 18-inch storm pipe's entrance were unsuccessful. The canine simply wouldn’t budge from about 150 feet into the pipe.

Dylan didn’t have access to food and water for over a week by then, and something had to be done immediately to save his life. This is when his foster owner called emergency services to the rescue.

'Nothing short of a miracle'

A web of first responders including police, firefighters, public works and electric crews came together for a complex nine-hour rescue.

According to the Southern New Jersey Humane Tracking and Trapping Recovery Group, the crew had to dig down into somebody's property to get into the pipe, while the power lines discovered near it complicated the task. Utility workers had to monitor the lines for safety while rescuers chiselled at the pipe. The noise from the chiselling ended up encouraging Dylan to walk toward the pipe's entrance, resulting in his rescue.

Kathleen Tortu-Bowles representing the service said in an interview with 6ABC Action News:

This has been the toughest recovery that we've been involved with. We've never had anyone stuck anywhere like that. It's very unbelievable that he's alive actually.

Shellinda Fisher-Hardie of Jericho's Wish Animal Rescue added:

It was amazing to see everybody get together like that, and they worked so hard for a dog they didn't even know.

The rescues called the dramatic operation 'nothing short of a miracle'.

'Rushed to the vet'

Rescuers said if Dylan had been trapped for one more day, he would not have made it. The dog was in pretty bad shape after his removal from the pipe and was rushed to the vet. He was covered in ticks, had a 40°C fever, his paws and elbows were burnt and he had a deep laceration on his elbow.

The vet said Dylan may have to undergo surgery for his elbow, but was doing incredibly well.

Shelinda from Jericho's Wish Animal Rescueshared an update about the animal’s health on Facebook:

Dylan is out of the hospital and relaxing with his foster. He is doing good, sleeping and snoring and he did eat. He’s still on two sets of pain pills as you can see from his eyes.

People writes that since his rescue, Dylan has found a forever home. Once he is fully recovered, he will move in with his adoptive family.

Read more:

⋙ 'She is our hero': Fearless dog saves a family seconds before mountain lion attack

⋙ Animal inspector’s heartbreak as she finds a dying dog locked up in a filthy house

⋙ This ‘American Bully XL’ dog turned on its owners in a horrific attack