WFLA – SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – Sarasota law enforcement agencies scrambled Saturday to rescue trapped dogs. One dog was trapped in a storm drain while another was stuck under a car in heavy traffic. Both acts were caught on video.
It's certainly something you don't see every day. On Saturday, a passerby along Fruitville Road spotted something odd inside a storm drain – a stray dog. So animal services officers from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota Police Department rushed over to get her out.
"[The dog] was moving through the storm drains, and it was quite difficult to see where she was and how to best get her out," Kristen Little with animal services said.
After a couple of hours, rescuers managed to corner the dog and hoist her up. Police told News Channel 8 she had likely been there for a couple of days.
"It is unusual for a dog to be in a storm drain, but being that she was probably looking for a place to hide, it probably suited her to run in there," Little said.
Now she's being cared for at animal services. Officials are hoping to find her owners or give her a new home.
This was the second dog to be rescued by law enforcement Saturday. Around 12 p.m. traffic came to a standstill at Fruitville and US 301. A small dog was trapped beneath a car.
"The little dog is so scared," a woman is heard saying on video from the scene.
To protect the dog from being hit by oncoming traffic, an officer crawled on all fours to rescue it. As cars drove by and motorists watched, the officer helped pull the dog out and bring it to safety.
Officials are also trying to track down this dog's owner so it's a good reminder to microchip your pets.
"Our officers are ready to respond to anything, whether it be human or animal," Sarasota Police Department spokesperson Genevieve Judge said. "Sarasota police officers do amazing things every day. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to see that that. But we're thankful that this video is getting out there just to share just a snippet of what our officers do every day."