From the bottom of a 15-foot well came the sound of a whimper.
Firefighters in Kansas City, Kansas, looked inside and found an exhausted dog paddling in four-foot deep water. They said the dog, a pit bull mix, was frightened by fireworks from the Fourth of July celebrations, and roamed the area in search of a safe and quiet place when he fell into the abandoned well.
“He just had a look on his face like, ‘Please help,’” firefighter Towan Smith said about the Sunday morning rescue.
Wearing a wet suit, Smith descended by ladder into the dark well, which had sewage water and oil inside. He emerged a few minutes later carrying the 66-pound dog under his arm.
He and his colleagues sprayed the dog with water, easing black liquid off the pup’s fur to reveal a brindle and white coat. They fed him brisket — and decided Brisket was a fitting name for the dog, who city officials said had been roaming the neighborhood for about a year.
Brisket was taken to an animal shelter, where he got a bath — his rescuers called it “a spa day.” He is expected to go up for adoption in a few weeks, and has already gained thousands of new fans on social media since volunteers for the city’s animal services division shared his story.
“It’s probably his most unlucky day and his luckiest day at the same time because, had he not fallen in, he’d probably still be running around that neighborhood, scared half to death,” said Nancy Chartrand, spokeswoman for the Kansas City police and its animal services division.
Brisket, who city officials estimate to be 4 or 5 years old, had a happy ending to what can be a tumultuous weekend for pets. The loud noises from fireworks scare many dogs and can trigger a fight-or-flight response. That’s why many animal shelters see an uptick in stray pets near July Fourth.
City officials don’t know when Brisket fell into the well, which was on private property, but a nearby homeowner heard the dog crying Sunday morning and called emergency services, Chartrand said.
Smith, 42, said Sunday was the first time in his 20-year career that he rescued an animal from a well.
“When I got down there to him, he just was like, ‘Man, just please get me out,’” said Smith, who wrapped a strap around Brisket’s chest to pull him up.
When Smith and Brisket returned to the surface, a police officer placed a leash around the dog’s neck. The nearby homeowner brought out a piece of brisket. Brisket was wearing a collar, Smith said, but it didn’t list identification information.
After a bath at the shelter, Brisket fell asleep on fluffy lavender blankets. Meanwhile, firefighters covered the well entrance with an old wooden fence in hopes that no other animals would fall in.
“It was very fulfilling because, you know, an animal or a human, we still got to help it out,” Smith said. “And Brisket needed help that day.”