Puppy Stuck in Storm Drain Available for Adoption Soon

UPDATE: Dallas Animal Services caught up with Stormy's mother and father this week. Both are now at a Dallas shelter and will be placed up for adoption.

A puppy rescued from a storm drain and two of his litter mates will be up for adoption soon.

Dallas animal control officers and Dallas Fire-Rescue crews pulled the puppy from the drain on Monday and took him to the Dallas Animal Services facility at Westmoreland Road and Interstate 30.

Animal Services found the two of the puppy's litter mates and their father, and the puppies also will be available for adoption on Sunday.

Animal Services will hold a drawing Sunday for all three puppies. People who want to adopt one of them must be at the animal shelter in person to enter. The facility opens at noon on Sunday.

Those chosen in the drawing will still need to go through the adoption process to make sure they are suitable for the dogs.

Animal Services Responds to Criticism

After airing the story on the dog's rescue, many viewers criticized Dallas Animal Services for its seemingly slow response to the puppy in peril. In a Facebook post, the department detailed more of the circumstances behind the rescue.

Animal Services said it had previously been out to the scene to attempt to find the reported puppy, but believe its officers scared it off. Additionally, DAS said an outlet for the storm water system is around 100 yards away from the drain and that the puppy may have been able to come and go as it pleased. (Click here to read the complete post.)

Animal Services said it is not uncommon for animals to take shelter in a storm drain, saying most can get out on their own. The department recommends calling 311 in the city of Dallas if callers believe an animal is trapped. That designation -- a trapped animal -- takes a different priority from loose animals reported to the animal control group.

Dallas Animal Services said it plans to continue to communicate with the public on the processes of its field operations so people can understand the challenges of animal control.