BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The troubling trend of animal cruelty once again surfaces in Baltimore. This, despite a Baltimore City police officer’s efforts to save an injured dog trapped in a sewer.

Monique Griego spoke with the officer and has more on the dog’s condition.

The police officer really went out of her way to try and save the dog. She actually slipped in through a manhole to get inside the drain where the puppy was stuck. And while the dog eventually made it out, this story does not have a happy ending.

A dark, dirty sewer isn’t a place everyone would jump into to save an animal.

“It was about 10 feet out in the pipe under the street,” said Sergeant Jessica Mignini, Baltimore City Police Department.

But that’s exactly where Sgt. Mignini found herself last Sunday after a call came in for a trapped puppy in Northwest Baltimore.

“They were calling it, they were doing everything. It just wouldn’t come. I think it was just really scared,” Mignini said.

Animal Control eventually set a trap. After that, there wasn’t much fire and police could do.

“Everybody left. Waited about two hours, I came back, checked the trap. He wasn’t in there,” Mignini said.

Mignini decided the only way to get the puppy out was to go in through the manhole.

“There was trash, there was raw sewage. And the sergeant got down on her hands and knees in an attempt to rescue this dog,” said Jeremy Silbert, Baltimore City Police Department.

Firefighters also came back on their own to help. They drilled a few holes so a makeshift catch pole could pull the little guy out.

“It was a huge relief. I mean, I knew I wasn’t going home until he was out. So it was a big relief, everybody was excited. The whole neighborhood, the fire department. It was a good feeling,” Mignini said.

Sadly, those feelings didn’t last. The puppy was extremely sick and covered in bite marks and scabs. Police believe he may have been the victim of animal cruelty–a widespread problem in Baltimore City.

“We’ve seen these types of cases over and over again,” said Silbert.

The puppy’s injuries were so severe, he had to be put down. While it wasn’t the ending Mignini was hoping for:

“It’s comforting to know that at least he didn’t spend his last days alone in a dark, dirty sewer,” she said.

Police do not know who the puppy’s owners were or how the dog got inside the drain.

Police encourage anyone who knows of or sees animal cruelty to report it. They have a special task force dedicated to these types of cases.

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