BILLINGS - A small dog was rescued from a drain pipe in the Billings Heights on Wednesday.
The rescue brought a neighborhood together in support and celebration.
The ordeal started for Mocha, the long-haired Daschund, at a drain pipe.
She moved a rock out of the way, then crawled into the 8-inch pipe that went under the street and under the neighbor's yard, where she had to be rescued.
Two plumbers and two excavators helped bring Mocha safely out of the pipe on Arbor Hills Drive.
June Brewer, Mocha's owner, says a rabbit from the day before is to blame.
"We got her in time," Brewer said. "We were right there when we pulled her out, my son and I."
Mocha's instincts brought her back to the pipe on Wednesday, and Brewer knew exactly what had happened when she turned around. So she listened for Mocha through the pipe.
"She was talking and whining," Brewer said. "Not really barking. Just talking and whining. I can't even imagine how scary that is down there in the dark. And she can't move. You know, she had to be scared to death."
Brewer's son figured the best person to call for the rescue was his plumber friend, who was able to locate Mocha by putting a camera down the pipe.
"I could see the dog's head, and we could hear the dog," said Mark Riley, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing owner. "So once we knew exactly... it was safe for us to dig."
Riley and his excavator friend from Grizzly Peak Excavation had been on retrieval missions before, but never with a live dog in danger.
"I think things couldn't have gone any smoother than it did," Riley said. "And it helped, you know, the neighbors came together to help with the assist in any way they could."
"We'll be pulled together," said Melody Clark, who lives across the street from Brewer. "Hopefully spend more time, a little bit more time, stopping and talking to each other when you're out in the yard."
"It was very emotional," Brewer said. "I was so appreciative of those guys. I mean they could have just dug down there and not worried. But he was so careful. If they were to hit that pipe, she might not be here today. She means a lot to me."
