A Florida police officer has been credited with saving the lives of three pit bulls found trapped in a sewer drain.
Matt Rush, an officer with the Cocoa Police Department, says he had been driving on a highway in the south of town on Tuesday morning when he suddenly heard dogs barking in what sounded to him like "distress."
According to the police department’s Facebook page, Rush stopped to investigate and discovered three pit bulls struggling to escape from a sewer drain on the eastbound side of the road.
"My first thought was, 'How in the world did they get in there, and how did I manage to hear them?'" Rush is quoted as saying. "I think they may have gotten in from a manhole across the street. It appears they dug their way in and then got stuck."
Animal control officers and Cocoa Fire Rescue were both called in to help with the rescue. According to WFTV, firefighters were soon able to remove the storm grate and the three dogs were brought to safety.
(Watch the rescue unfold in the video above.)
"Fortunately, they came out in good shape," Rush said of the three pit bulls.
The Cocoa Police Department says its unclear how long the dogs were trapped and if they had belonged to someone.
Brevard County Animal Services is reportedly now caring for the dogs, and searching for their owner.
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