Lucky dog rescued from sewage plant

A dog was rescued from a sewage water treatment plant in North Richmond Friday morning after a worker spotted it stuck in a vault, fire officials said.

Fire crews responded around 10:30 a.m. to reports of a dog stuck in a vault-like holding basin at the West County Wastewater District facility on Garden Tract Road, Fire Marshal Robert Marshall of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said.

Specialized rescue crews and Contra Costa County Animal Services officers were called in to rescue the dog, a roughly three-hour process that involved a wire harness and ropes, Marshall said.

The dog was on a small ledge inside the concrete structure, just above the untreated wastewater, which fire officials think she might have reached when waste water levels were low.

When the water levels rose, she was trapped.

The fire marshal said it’s unclear how the animal became trapped in the vault, but that it could have drowned if no one spotted it. Marshall said it was very weak and tired:

“She had no fight in her at all.”

The dog, a black female pit bull mix weighing around 40 pounds, was taken to the county animal shelter in Martinez for treatment and was doing well as of this afternoon, Marshall said.

The dog was not wearing a collar when it was found. Anyone who is missing a black pit bull mix from the West Contra Costa County area is encouraged to call Animal Services at (925) 335-8320.