Caught On Video: Daring Animal Control Officer Rescues Trapped Dog
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - A curious dog somehow ended up 60 feet inside a drainage pipe in Steamboat Springs and the pup's rescue was captured on video thanks to a police officer's body camera.
Kia became wedged 60 feet down inside a plastic culvert outside The Lodge at Steamboat condominiums on Saturday while playing fetch with family members.
Kia's owner, Julie Manning, is grateful animal control officer Krista Amatuzio was daring enough to go inside the pipe to rescue her pet.
"I don't know what we would've done," Manning said.
Police body camera footage shows the last few inches of the rescue. Amatuzio was covered in cobwebs, wet and cold after belly-crawling 60 feet down.
"It's been kind of a fun adventure. I didn't expect to be on TV for this … it's my job," Amatuzio said. "I'm not real claustrophobic, it didn't faze me a whole lot. I just knew that the dog was in distress, obviously, and the water is really cold right now because of the runoff. So I knew it couldn't be in there too long."
Kia is a lucky dog and a fearful family says Amatuzio is a hero.
"She's very happy she was saved. She was in there for probably a good two hours crying," Manning said.
