A stray dog became stuck in a water treatment basin in Riverside Wednesday but was pulled to safety before it overflowed with refuse, potentially drowning her.
The rescue was mounted about 10 a.m. at the Riverside Public Works’ Water Quality Control Plant on Acorn Street, just off of Jurupa Avenue, near Riverside Municipal Airport, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
Plant workers were the first to spot the German shepherd-pit bull mix, stranded in the middle of the basin, which is the size of a football field and can sometimes fill with waste water to depths of 20 feet, said John Welsh, the Department of Animal Services public information chief.
The dog was in about three feet of water and unable to crawl back onto the side of the concrete surface to climb out of the catchment, according to Welsh.
Plant workers Brent Keaster and Richard Pallante rigged a line and lasso, then Keaster rappelled down into the basin, staying above the water line and trying to draw the frightened canine nearer to him, Welsh said.
“She realized we were there to help,” Keaster said. “We thought she might be aggressive. She was wearing a chrome-studded harness. But she was pretty docile. She was pleased. It was a good day.”
Department of Animal Services Officer John Hergenreder went to the location in response to calls about the stranded animal and assisted Keaster, giving him a snaring device that made catching and removing the dog from the basin much easier.
The dog was taken to the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley and received a “very necessary bath,” Welsh said.
Veterinary technicians examined the dog, identifying at least one small cut but nothing more serious in the way of injuries, according to Welsh.
The dog will be impounded at the shelter, where she will wait to be claimed.
–City News Service