food

Chihuahua Rescued by Tire Shop Crew After Slipping Down Storm Drain

The chihuahua is in good health and will soon be placed up for adoption.

They say a dog is man’s best friend, but one man turned out to be a dog’s best friend when he saved her from drowning during a storm earlier this week.

A chihuahua slipped down a storm drain into a river of water at the corner of Cypress Avenue and Wohlstetter Street in Riverside on Monday.

A group of kids spotted the dog being washed away by a swift current from the rain. Officer John Hergendreder of Riverside County Animal Services was called to the scene, but the high walls of the storm drain and the swift current made the rescue difficult.

Officer Hergenreder improvised. He grabbed a cat carrier and a rope and devised a pulley system. He placed some food in a carrier with the intent to entice the puppy, but she became startled and plunged into the swift water, Riverside County Department of Animal Services said in a statement.

The dog drifted under Cypress Avenue and toward the north side of the street, next to a nearby tire shop. The crew members at Cali Touch Motorsports spotted the dog and brought out a ladder in the hopes they could help bring the dog to safety.

Initially the small dog clung to the ladder, but lost her grip and was thrown back into the water. The crew from CT Motorsports noticed the dog was growing tired of swimming and that’s when a friend of theirs, Juan Rodarte, climbed down the ladder and secured the rope around the dog.

Rodarte, a construction worker who had the day off because of the rain, handed the dog to the animal services officer who then took her to a shelter in Jurupa Valley.

A veterinarian treated the dog for hypothermia. The tan pup appears to be in good health and will soon be placed up for adoption, according to a statement from Riverside County Animal Services.

“Dogs are like human beings, when you see something especially a little dog like this go into trouble you want to be there for them and help them out,” Jessie Perez, a CT Motorsports technician said in a video shot by Riverside County Department of Animal Services. “At the end of the day a lot of the people can see you should take care of pets.”

The crew at CT Motorsports is a pet friendly bunch. Their mascot is a dog named Oreo. 

Contact Us