Chaverim of Rockland provides big assist in rescue of dog trapped in storm drain
WESLEY HILLS, N.Y. -- You have to love a story with a happy ending -- and this one is doggone good.
Ginger, a corgi mix, was missing for days until someone heard whimpering coming from a Rockland County storm drain.
On Tuesday, CBS2's Tony Aiello spoke with community volunteers who helped bring Ginger to safety.
The posters went up last week all around Wesley Hills after the 12-year-old mixed breed with health problems wandered from her loving home.
The owner asked the Chaverim of Rockland for help.
"We get a lot of calls about lost, sometimes it's lost people. This time it was a lost dog," Chaverim coordinator Josef Margaretten said.
He said volunteers drove around looking for Ginger, spreading awareness of a dog possibly in danger.
Chaverim is a Hebrew word that means "friends," and Monday the Chaverim certainly were just that to man's best friend.
Members of the safety patrol arrived at a storm drain just moments after a passer-by heard a dog whimpering down below.
It was Ginger, safe but scared.
"It was whimpering, crying for help, little cold, shivering," Chaverim volunteer Tuli Adler said.
Adler was among the volunteers who first tried to lift the cast iron grate off the storm drain.
"But we were afraid that the actual grate might slip in. It's really heavy and it might injure the dog," Adler said.
The Ramapo Department of Public Works provided a winch to safely remove the grate. As Ramapo police assisted, Adler climbed into the drain and lifted Ginger to safety.
Clearly there was relief on the owner's face as Ginger returned to her loving arms.
"She was like crying from joy, so happy to see the dog," Adler said.
"That's what we try to do, put some smiles on people's faces," Margaretten added.
The volunteers believe Ginger wandered into the sewer system through one of the large drain pipes in the neighborhood.
Thanks to a caring community, she's safe, home, and happy.
The owners told Aiello they are grateful for everyone who helped find and rescue Ginger. She spent a few hours at the vet's office, and is recuperating at home.
