Two puppies pulled from beneath a sidewalk, now thriving

Firefighters in Harris County, Texas, spent two hours digging in oppressive heat last week to reach puppies trapped in a washed-out void beneath a sidewalk near Heritage Elementary. The Little York Fire Department got the call from a concerned resident about one puppy stuck under the pavement. Crews arrived with animal control officers from Harris County Pets and found there were more. They pulled out two, both about eight weeks old. A third did not survive the four-foot-deep collapse. The dig turned up a second problem. "During the rescue, we also discovered a large washed-out void beneath the sidewalk, creating a potential collapse hazard," firefighters said, noting the walkway leads straight to the school. County crews were notified to fix it. The rescued puppies now have names, Sparky and Flame, which is roughly what you would expect a fire department to pick. KHOU 11 News reported both are doing well and ready for adoption.