It was a terrifying moment for Kathleen, 82, from Scunthorpe, when her beloved Golden Retriever, Honey, fell into a manhole during their daily walk. The incident occurred on a sunny afternoon in late June, leaving Kathleen in a state of panic.
As Kathleen strolled along the picturesque Moat Road with her two faithful companions, Honey and Jack, she suddenly noticed that Honey was missing. Frantically searching for her, Kathleen’s heart sank when she heard distant barking. Following the sound, she discovered Honey trapped inside the a manhole.
Recalling the harrowing experience, Kathleen told Scunthorpe Live: “I was taking her for a walk on Moat Road because she likes to go for a swim every day so we do a circular route round and I was nearly back to the car and there was only Jack, my other dog, there.
“I shouted for Honey and she wasn’t there and I could hear a bark bark bark, but I couldn’t see anything.”
Desperate for assistance, Kathleen approached a passerby and asked for help in locating the source of the barking.
She said: “I asked a man if he could help me find the barking, so he started flattening the grass and I slipped. As I slipped, there was this big manhole space, and the man looked down and said: ‘She’s in here’.”
Kathleen immediately contacted Humberside Fire and Rescue, with two fire engines arriving at the scene at 1.40pm.
The manhole proved to be so deep that a firefighter had to descend into its depths to rescue Honey, who emerged looking “jet black and filthy”.
Kathleen said: “It was very deep, the firemen had to go in and get her. She kept trying to get out by going into the sewer, we were worried she’d get lost and go deeper. We kept shouting and shouting and Jack kept barking and barking so it kept making her come back to the bottom.
“She was in shock and absolutely jet black and filthy. It took us hours and hours washing her, we used three bottles of washing up liquid. It was horrible.”
The rescue operation left Kathleen shaken, and worried about the safety of others who frequent the area.
She said: “I’ve walked across that grass so many times and I never dreamed there’d be a manhole there. I cant sleep, I could’ve fell in there, it could’ve been me. The firemen said even if I had fell in there with my mobile, I probably wouldn’t have had any signal. I haven’t been back and I don’t fancy walking there again.”
The stress of the day hit Kathleen and once Honey was safe she said she “couldn’t stop crying”.
To express their thanks, Kathleen and Honey paid a visit to Scunthorpe Fire Station, where they were warmly received by the firefighters who had come to their rescue. The firefighters were delighted to see Honey after her ordeal.
Kathleen said: “I had to go back and say thank you. It was lovely to see them fussing over her.”
In a heartwarming post to its Facebook page, Scunthorpe Fire Station wrote: “Scunthorpe White Watch had a welcome visitor today. Honey and her owner came to the station to say thanks.
“Honey fell down a storm drain whilst out on a walk and the crew from White Watch carried out the below surface rescue and Honey was reunited with her very relieved owner. It was great to see her looking well and a lot cleaner.”
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