PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
A 6-week-old puppy named Popsicle survived a frightening fall into a storm drain thanks to a neighbor and a sheriff's deputy.
On Wednesday night, she was back to doing what a puppy does best: wiggling, wagging and snuggling, all thanks to two people who were in the right place at the right time.
Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Zach Majors said the Chihuahua-Yorkie mix was out on a potty break early Tuesday when she wandered away from her brothers and sisters and fell into a 7-foot-deep storm drain.
"The water, as you can imagine, any kind of storm drain water is just black and murky," Majors said.
There was a metal grate over it, but Popsicle squeezed through a gap between the grate and the curb.
"My mom was walking her and then she went down here and she fell," Popsicle's owner, 6-year-old Macayla Marchington said.
There was 2 feet of water at the bottom and the puppy soon found herself swimming for her life. It didn't take long for weariness to set in and Popsicle began dropping below the surface.
Thankfully, a nearby neighbor found a broom and used it to hold the puppy out of the water.
But the rescue was far from over.
"The puppy kept flipping over into the water and disappearing for a second or two," Majors said.
To make matters worse, a car was parked on top of the metal grate.
So Majors had to move the car before he could finally use a dog pole to safely get Popsicle out.
Popsicle survived; she was a bit cold and shaken up, but very glad to be back on dry land.
"I was grateful to be in the right spot at the right time," Majors said.
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