It was a seemingly ordinary day in Colorado Springs when the local FD received a distress call concerning animals in dire need of rescuing. The firemen immediately suited up and headed to the scene as quickly as they could, and it immediately became apparent that their day was anything but normal. They initially thought they had all of the necessary hardware to fish a litter of puppies out of the storm drain, but they were stunned to learn the shocking truth about the rescue mission.
1. The Fireman’s Calling
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Perhaps the first image to pop into your mind when you think of fighters extinguishing a burning home. However, this isn’t the only act of heroism that firefighters do; they’re often on the receiving end of cries for help when people or animals need rescuing. And no, cute kittens stuck in trees is actually a lot rarer than TV wants us to believe.
2. Responding in Time
Firefighters are constantly putting themselves in hazardous situations. It's a part of the job, but they do not get the recognition they truly deserve. One such department from Colorado Springs has teams set up all over the city to ensure that they can reach every home, building, and person in under eight minutes during their greatest times of need.
3. Gear
Fires can break out in multiple places simultaneously with different threat levels. The CSFD has an assortment of vehicles, equipment, supplies, and numerous brave souls on board ready to tackle danger head on. It a matter of moments, a team can be fully suited up and on their way to a call. However, many of their calls, especially those relating to animal rescue, do not require firefighters being armed to the teeth or being accompanied by decontamination vehicles.
4. An Ordinary Day
One day, while things were relatively slow in the CSFD (which is exactly how the firefighters like it), the crew were going about their daily activities, involving checking up on their gear, making a huge pot of coffee, and hoping that they wouldn't receive a distress call. But suddenly, their hopes for an action-free day were shattered when they received their next call.
5. The Call
Things were moving pretty slowly that day, and even when they were alerted about a potential rescue mission, it didn’t seem like it would be too out of the ordinary. After jotting down the details, the dispatcher relayed the information to the firefighters at the nearest station. It was an animal rescue call, which shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to finish. At least, that’s what everybody thought in the beginning.
6. Taking Precautions
A seasoned animal rescuer will tell you that saving animals isn’t a mundane task. Anything could go wrong at any moment—the animal could be rabid, could be on the verge of death, or might even escape and seek refuge in a nearby household. After all, animal behavior is unpredictable, to say the least, and they can go from 0 to 100% aggressive in the blink of an eye.
7. In and Out
However, based on the information the dispatcher released, the CSFD crew didn’t think this rescue mission would be too crazy. This wasn’t their first rodeo, and saving a litter of harmless puppies didn’t sound like too much of a threat, even if mama dog was at the scene. Nonetheless, the crew took the proper precautions and made their way to the scene.
8. Storm Drain
It didn’t take too long to reach the site (under eight minutes, remember?), and the crew jumped off the truck to assess the situation. It was apparent that a litter of puppies, quite possibly under a month old, was stuck in a storm drain. They’ve been in this situation before and removing the puppies wasn’t going to take long. Still, they had to act quickly.
9. Racing Against the Clock
The crew has dealt with situations like this in the past, so it didn’t take long to hatch a plan. They knew that the pups needed rescuing as soon as possible; even if it didn’t rain, there was a possibility that the puppies heads’ might submerge in the water and drown, or they could freeze in the colder underground temperature.
10. Taking Action
From their assessment of the situation, the firefighters knew that the puppies were incredibly tiny, and getting them out of the storm drain wouldn’t be as easy as they had initially hoped. Thankfully, the sewer wasn’t incredibly deep, but they still had to come up with options on how to tackle the situation. Eventually, they decided that one or two members could attempt to fish the puppies out.
11. How’d They Get There?
The firemen couldn’t comprehend how the puppies had gotten stuck in the storm drain in the first place. They were even more curious to see that mama pup wasn’t at the scene, which raised more questions than they could hope to answer. However, they didn’t have the luxury to ponder over such mysteries; these puppers needed help, and they needed it quick.
12. Ditched by Mama?
Without mama pup in sight, the firefighters could breathe easily knowing that an aggressive dog wasn’t going to attempt to chew their legs off while trying to save her litter. Typically, mothers will leave their litter in a seemingly human-free place (such as a drain storm) but would instinctively know whether their babies are in danger or not. Firefighter or not, humans are a threat, but these babies’ mother wasn’t anywhere near the scene.
13. An Unbelievable Situation
After taking a closer look at the puppies, the crew couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The puppies were incredibly young; they couldn’t walk, could hardly yelp, and they were stuck in an extremely cold place where they could die from exposure. Not to mention the piles of garbage and dirt they were resting on and around. The situation drove the firefighters to act more quickly to save as many lives as they could.
14. A Fear-Inducing Thought
Before mama pup could return to her “den,” the firefighters decided to take the pups out as quickly as possible. However, upon closer inspection, the pups stuck in the storm drain didn’t look like regular puppies. Sure, they were covered in dirt and mud, but there was something… off about them. Still, they couldn’t leave the puppies down there for much longer—time waits for no one, not even scared little puppies.
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15. The Rescue Mission
Without knowing all of the details of this mission, the firefighters put on a pair of gloves and stuck their hands into the unknown. Hopefully, the gloves would prevent them from leaving a human scent on the poor babies, so mama pup would come back to claim her kids. The firefighters extracted the poop pups out of the sewer and left them on a nearby sheet to clean them off.
16. A Lively Pup
The first pupper to be rescued was placed on a sheet to await its brothers and sisters. As soon as it was rescued, it immediately began showing signs of life. Everyone could breathe easy, knowing that the pup was safe despite being in a sticky situation for nobody knows how long. One by one, the puppies were rescued from a pit of despair and placed next to each other. Every single one of them was moving happily about.
17. An Upsetting Possibility
As the crew worked, one of the members suggested that the puppies’ owner had ditched them in a sewer. Although this is an incredibly thoughtless act, it wouldn’t be the first time it ever happened. However, without much information to go on, there was no way to verify whether their ideas were true or not. It wasn’t an impossible thought, but it was upsetting nonetheless.
18. An Awww Moment
Despite being covered head to toe in filthy sewer gunk, the firefighters couldn't deny how unbelievable adorable the puppies were. One second, they were stranded in a dark place without the hopes of being rescued, and the next, they were moving freely and became the center of attention. To say the puppies were confused would be the understatement of the millennium.
19. The Guessing Game
The pups were undoubtedly cute, but the firefighters were still left scratching their heads over what they actually were. They took turns guessing what they could possibly be, but then one of them had the idea to take the litter to the Animal Clinic of Woodland Park. They could help take care of the animals and ensure that they were in perfect health.
20. A Healthy Bunch
After a set of professional eyes got a good look at the litter, all of the pups were in perfect health. Everyone rejoiced over the astounding news; most of all the firefighters who could rest assured knowing that they’ve their work was executed perfectly. And with that, the firefighters bid the professionals and cute puppers adieu and went back to home base.
21. Curiosity
Mark Jenkins, one of the firefighters who had assisted in rescuing the tiny puppies, still had questions. He wanted to know what the puppies were, so he gave his phone number to the doctors and asked them to call him with updates. Not long after whisking away in his fire engine, he received a phone call from one of the vets.
22. A Fascinating Update!
When he answered his phone, his first response was to ask how the puppies were doing. The vet reassured him of the puppies' wellbeing, that they were active, and doing well, but there was something the team of rescuers needed to know. Nothing could have prepared Mark and his team for what the vet had to say!
23. A Shocking Discovery
Mark was taken aback by the vet’s words. He pressed his phone closer to ear, wondering whether he misheard the doctor. Had they really gone all that way to save a litter of puppies that weren’t actually dogs? They certainly behaved like clueless puppies; perhaps the vet was mistaken. After ruling out signal problems, he couldn’t believe what he had just heard!
24. Red Foxes
The vet informed mark and his team that the puppies they rescued were actually red foxes. Mark was at a loss for words, and his team didn't have much to add either. Nothing they had done up to this point had prepared them for handling foxes, and they had just come out of a potentially dangerous situation unscathed. The vet reassured him that they were indeed red foxes; the red hue of their fur comes during later stages in life.
25. Returning the Litter
The vet further described the behavior of a mama fox. There was a huge possibility that mama fox could be back in the same spot the babies were rescued, panicking while searching frantically for her puppies. Despite all the good the team had done, their good deeds might not have been perceived that way by the mother. Mark and the team knew what to do—the babies had to go back.
26. Back to the Storm Drain
Mark and the team went back to the clinic to pick the frightened baby pups up. they couldn't believe what they had to do, but it was certainly best for the pups and the mother. After returning to the initial site with the babies, the crew waited around in hopes of spotting a red fox in the vicinity. Whether the mother would be ferocious for what the firefighters had done or thankful for her babies' return, nothing could have prepared them for what would happen next.
27. No Show
However, after several days of this—picking the litter up at the clinic, going back to the storm drain, and returning litters back to the clinic—the crew knew that mama fox had abandoned her puppies. Nobody could tell why, but they had to call off the operation. Everyone was heartbroken about the unfortunate ending. Perhaps mama fox had left for good after realizing her puppies had disappeared…
28. The Bright Side
It was a heartbreaking moment for the team of firemen whose goal is to rescue everyone, both animal and human alike. Sadly, this mission did not have the ending they were hoping for. However, the vet at the animal clinic assured them that they had done the right thing. Nobody knows whether the puppies were abandoned before or after the rescue mission. Plus, under the watchful eye of professionals, the pups would have a fighting chance of survival. If left in the storm drain, the cold underground temperature would have accelerated their demise.
29. Some Good After All
Even though the rescuers knew that their goal wasn't 100% achieved, they could go on knowing that they had done the best they could. They responded to the call immediately and reached the location in no time. They went the extra mile to extract tiny puppies from a filthy storm drain where either cold temperatures or bacteria would claim the babies' lives. They had brought the pups to an animal clinic where they would have a chance of survival.
30. A Watchful Eye
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With everything that happened, the firefighters called it a win. After all, not everything ends up the way you want it to, but at least they did the best they could and saved a litter of puppies from a 0% chance of survival. If you're aware of any animals in your area that are in need of assistance, make sure to reach out to professionals.
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