Frantic search for trapped animal uncovered sewer problem that sounded just like a puppy

A frantic effort to save what was believed to be a puppy trapped in an upstate New York city's sewer system has a happy ending. What sounded to many like a whimpering puppy trapped under the Utica National building in Utica on Tuesday was actually just a sewer system that sounds like one. As the search went on, workers and passers-by began to speculate as to what kind of dog, or animal, might be trapped below.

“After a thorough search, it was determined that there was not an animal trapped, but rather, a mechanical issue within the building itself that mimicked a puppy in distress,” said Steve Kukowski, the company’s corporate communications specialist. Mayor Robert Palmieri called off the search shortly after noon after crews from the Utica Fire Department, the city’s Department of Public Works and National Grid spent more than two hours trying to locate and rescue what they believed to be the source of the sound. Then, DPW crews filled the five-foot hole they had had excavated along the side of the building earlier in the morning.

“At the end of the day, I’m very glad it was not an animal,” Palmieri said. “Because of the heavy rain we had last night, the probability of a puppy finding its way inside the storm drain was very real.” The misguided but well-intentioned rescue effort began shortly before 9:30am, when employees first contacted the city and the Stevens-Swan Humane Society to report hearing whimpering sounds that seemed to be coming from under the building. Palmieri and crews responded, and assisted in checking manholes and air vents and reviewing sewer plans to try to determine where a trapped dog could be.

Firefighters then used a stethoscope and a heat sensor to try to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from, working both inside and outside the building. After National Grid crews used a more sensitive device to listen to the side of the building and the ground outside, crews began excavating a hole on the Broadway side of the building. Utica National thanked the city for its response. “We appreciate the efforts of all involved in what we all thought was a legitimate situation of an animal in distress,” Kukowski said.