POTEET, Texas — Two dogs, whom some might call lovers, found themselves in a smelly yet distressing situation Sunday afternoon. But with the help of social media, the Poteet community came together to ultimately rescue the pups.
Poteet’s animal control officer William Lay Jr. rushed to the city’s waste facility, witnessing the furry duo stranded in a vat of sewage.
“I come to find out they had been there for a while. Sewer plant operator did try to rescue them out,” Lay said.
Lay spent more than hour trying to lure the dogs to safety. He eventually turned to social media.
“I put a plea out on Facebook for the owners to come forth to see if we can try to coax the dogs up to the side where we can actually use our equipment to get them out,” Lay said.
One owner did come forward, which made rescuing his male Rottweiler much easier.
But the skittish black lab remained trapped in the sewage. That’s where Donovan Garcia, a volunteer Poteet firefighter jumped into action.
“We were actually able to harness him (the female black lab) with a lasso, with a hook, and some other items and actually withdraw him out of the sewer,” Garcia said.
The sewage-drenched black lab now has a new temporary home at the Atascosa County Animal Control facility.
Some people online have given her the name, Sewage Sally, while others such as Henry Dominguez, chief of Atascosa County Animal Control Authority, call her Little Orphan Annie.
“Of course, we gave her a good bath, bathed her and cleaned her up, so she’s perfectly fine and healthy now,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez noted the facility is currently 20 animals over capacity. The limit is typically around 100.
“Again, we’re not a no kill, so sadly, when we get to no capacity, we have to euthanize for space,” he said.
That’s why Dominguez stresses the importance of adoption by helping out furry friends find a special and permanent home.
“Now it’s safe, it’s clean, it’s able to hopefully go on to a good forever home with someone that will love and take care of it and care for it for the rest of its life.”
If the rescued black lab’s owner doesn’t pop by soon to retrieve her, she will be ready for adoption on Friday.
To learn more about the animals up for adoption, click here.
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