A Jacksonville runner changed his usual route Wednesday morning, leading him to a frightened dog trapped in a storm drain and ultimately to the pup's fire department rescuers.

Gordon Harvey runs four days a week, and when he left his home Wednesday morning he decided to take a route different from his usual routine. He was listening to a podcast on his ear buds when he heard what sounded like a faint dog bark.

Initially, Harvey said, he thought it was part of the podcast, but as it continued, he took out his ear buds and the barking became louder. "There was an echo, like it was in a canyon,'' he said.

He followed the sound, and found the dog stuck in a storm drainpipe. He jogged to the city's new public safety complex about a half mile away, and asked, "Do y'all still rescue pets?" Initially the firefighters said they'd call animal control but drove Harvey back to the pipe so he could show them the location.

Once they assessed the situation, however, more firefighters were called to the scene and the rescue began. "Sure enough, there was a little red Cocker Spaniel dog,'' said Jacksonville Fire Department Assistant Chief Keith Kadle. "It was about 10 feet deep."

Firefighter Matthew Stanbaugh went down and found the dog in the pipe. "I think he was more scared than anything,'' Kadle said. "He couldn't turn around and he just came to a dead end."

Stanbaugh retrieved the dog, and climbed back out through a manhole. Fire officials said they are now trying to find the dog's owner and said they feel confident they will because the community is abuzz about the rescue. "We've got a neighbor taking care of the dog until we can find the owner,'' he said.

Harvey said he's thankful he chose that route today. He lost a dog to cancer last year and now has a new puppy, and couldn't stand the thought of any dog stuck and afraid. "You take a choice going out the door in the morning,'' he said. "It was fate. I feel pretty good about it. It was a good start to the day."