WATERVLIET, Mich. — A nightly walk with his dog turned into a nightmare for one Watervliet Township man when his dog, Sophie, got stuck in a hole. Body camera footage released Friday is showing the efforts of a state trooper to rescue her.
The incident happened Thursday, Oct. 10 around 10 p.m. in Watervliet Township. Sophie had been on a walk with her owner when she fell into a gas line hole along the road, which police have estimated as being five to six feet deep.
11-year-old Sophie was stuck, with just her head and front legs uncovered.
Tpr. Justin Van Nuil with the Michigan State Police Niles Post responded to the scene. In the footage from the body camera, Van Nuil can be heard talking with Sophie's owner as he worked out the best way to rescue her.
Van Nuil familiarized himself with Sophie and then used a welch hitch to pull her out.
"That's one you haven't done before, have you?" Sophie's owner asked after giving Van Nuil a handshake.
"I've done a lot of things, I've definitely wrangled a couple dogs," Van Nuil said. "I've never pulled 'em out of a little three-foot hole."
Police say Sophie was unharmed and she was able to finish her walk with her owner.