Dog rescued from drain near Taupo

FILE

A happy ending for a fox terrier stuck in a drain near Taupo is being put down to a "stroke of Kiwi ingenuity".

The dog was chasing a rabbit yesterday morning when it got stuck three-quarters the way down a 30m drain.

Taupo fire officer in charge Henry Reihana said the crew was called out to Waitahanui, south of Taupo, about 8.30am.

"We got the call saying a fox terrier, named Honey, had been trapped in a storm water drain.

"She had been chasing a rabbit with another dog and obviously the rabbit ran straight through the drain. The other dog, which was smaller, was also able to escape, but Honey found herself trapped."

Mr Reihana said it was a stroke of Kiwi ingenuity that allowed Honey to be rescued.

"We taped some poles together and used some miscellaneous objects at our disposal to create a makeshift shovel. We then used it to clear a path big enough for Honey to escape.

"If that didn't work our next option would have been to get a digger in and break open the pipe which would have been time consuming and costly. Luckily it didn't come to that."

He said Honey was very relieved to get out of the drain and to be reunited with her owner.
"She was in the drain for at least an hour before she could crawl free.

"We suggested the owner rename her to Lucky after today's rescue. I think Honey will be getting a few extra dog biscuits tonight."