During Diwali celebrations, fireworks filled the sky along with loud applause and explosions, prompting a nervous puppy named Pip to rush into an open drainpipe in search of safety.

Pip’s family realized the puppy had gotten into the pipe when they heard tiny cries echoing from there. They tried to lure her out, but Pip didn’t budge.

“We tried up until 9 p.m. or so,” Ndonie Shezi, one of Pip’s owners said. “We all hardly slept, and by 5 a.m., we were up trying again to rescue her.”

In the end, Petros Simamane, an inspector for Kloof and Highway SPCA, came to the rescue after many unsuccessful attempts by the Pip family.

Simamane knew that the only way to free her would be to dig into the ground and cut the pipe. He left to get a spade and pickaxe, but when he returned, the puppy had squirmed further back into the drain.

After that, Simamane realized he needed a drain camera. But to use this special equipment, he needs a plumber. So he called Ganga Plumbers, a local company, to see if anyone could help.

Rishi Haripersad of Ganga Plumbers had another job lined up when he got the call from Simamane. But when Haripersad told management about the puppy stuck in the drain, the company’s director gave him the green light to help.

“The director himself said, ‘Let’s pause all the work. Let’s go help rescue this puppy,’” Haripersad said.

Haripersad snaked the camera into the drain. About 60 feet in, the screen lit up with Pip’s wide-eyed face. As it turned out, the drainpipe had another opening on the other side of a fence, where they could begin to dig.

After hours of work, Simamane finally pulled Pip out of the drainpipe. The puppy was caked in mud and exhausted. Thankfully, she started to feel a little better after a warm bath, a meal, a vet checkup and plenty of cuddles.

After recovering at the shelter, Pip returned home in the loving arms of her family. And in just a few short weeks, Pip had grown into a healthy, happy girl and too big to fit into a drainpipe ever again.

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