CONKLIN, N.Y. — A New York state trooper proved this week that sometimes you have to crawl underground to go above and beyond the call of duty.
According to The Associated Press, Rudy Fuehrer said his 13-year-old golden retriever, Lilah, vanished Friday. Two days later, he heard a yelp while walking his other dogs in Conklin and realized his four-legged friend was trapped in a culvert pipe under the road.
Although Fuehrer tried to coax Lilah out of the pipe with cheese and peanut butter treats, his attempts were unsuccessful, the AP reported. That’s when he called 911 for help.
Minutes later, Trooper Jimmy Rasaphone and his partner, Ana Reyes, arrived to help, New York State Police said in social media posts Monday. Rasaphone sprang into action, offering to go into the underground pipe with a leash and collar to retrieve the frightened pet.
“The trooper tied a rope to Lilah’s leash and disappeared into the dark pipe,” police wrote on Facebook. “After crawling about 15 feet, he found Lilah and got a collar on her. With the help of her owner, they were able to pull her out to safety.”
Trooper “Jimmy” Rasaphone rescued 13-and-a-half-year-old Golden Retriever Lilah after she got stuck in a culvert pipe. The Trooper attached a rope to her leash and crawled about 15-feet into the pipe to find Lilah. He and the owner were able to pull her to safety. pic.twitter.com/ZwKlBkWv9k
— NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) June 27, 2022
Fuehrer told the AP that the pipe’s diameter was less than 2 feet.
Police went on to thank Rasaphone and Reyes in the now-viral posts, which had raked in nearly 13,000 reactions on Facebook and 400 likes on Twitter by early Wednesday.
“Troopers, thank you for going above and beyond and showing compassion to help get this pup back home to her owner,” the Facebook post read.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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