The moving water of Palmdale's California Aqueduct put a German shepherd and its rescuers at risk as firefighters retrieved the dog, which was clinging to a steel floodgate girder.
Here's what to know
Urban Search and Rescue crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded around 11:10 a.m. near East Barrel Springs Road and Pearblossom Highway, according to MyNewsLA.
Firefighters found the dog holding on inside the aqueduct, where a floodgate's steel support beam was, Battalion Chief Mark McCurdy said.
"A rescue like this can be significant, based on the moving water," McCurdy said. "That's going to be the biggest threat that we have, not only to the animal itself potentially having an issue or wanting to bite one of our crew members, but also for the fact that this water is moving creates danger for our rescuers as well."
The aqueduct is a recurring rescue site for crews, with calls involving trapped people as well as pets and wildlife.
What's being done?
The team completed the rescue near the floodgate by hoisting the German shepherd out of the aqueduct.
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Once safely out of the channel, the dog was placed in a Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control truck.
"There are a lot of people who walk along the trails here, or we can have dogs, deer and unfortunately people who become trapped in the aqueduct," McCurdy said.
Where can I learn more?
The German shepherd in Palmdale is far from the only dog to become trapped in a waterway or drain. These stories describe people rescuing dogs from canals, storm drains, and a sewer drain.
• Bystanders dangled a man upside down to rescue a trapped dog beside a canal.
• In Minnesota, a man and dog both needed rescuing from a Lake Superior canal.
• Rescuers in Pennsylvania pulled a 1-pound Chihuahua to safety from a storm drain.
• In Indianapolis, rescuers heard yelping beneath a street and freed a pit bull puppy.
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