Washington deputy crawls into pipe to rescue injured dog

A deputy in Washington state crawled into a culvert to rescue an injured dog that had been hit by a car.

Video posted to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office social media shows the incident that unfolded on Sept. 7.

Animal control was not immediately available to respond to the scene just before 10 p.m., and deputies were able to see the dog in the pipe.

“One of our deputies stripped off his gear and crawled into the pipe to rescue the pup. You can see the dog lay on top of the deputy when he made it up to him,” the post said.

The deputy then used a blanket to slowly pull the dog out.

The dog was taken to an emergency vet, and it was determined she needed emergency surgery and was a stray without an owner or microchip. 

The dog, affectionately named “Piper,” was about to be euthanized.

When the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office called the vet to stop the dog from being put down, the vet’s office said a deputy who was there when Piper was rescued had already called and asked them to perform the surgery.

With the help of Sheriff Ed Troyer, the department contacted People for Animal Care and Kindness, who took care of Piper’s emergency surgery costs. 

Piper is now in recovery, but it is still not clear if a family is trying to find her. 

“Stepping up where so many would not, these deputies are full of compassion and awesomeness! So proud of these guys!” the department’s Instagram post reads. The sheriff’s office said without any help, the dog likely would have stayed in the pipe under the road and not survived.