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CLIFTON, La. (WGNO) — After three exhausting days in the searing summer sun, members of the Humane Society of Louisiana rescue team successfully rescued five puppies stranded at the bottom of a 65-foot dry well in Washington Parish.

The owner of the property where the well is located, contacted the Washington Parish Fire Department on Aug. 15 to inform them the puppies had apparently fallen into the well and were in need of rescue.

As are result, the fire department contacted the HSLA, which promptly organized a rescue squad consisting of two mother-daughter duos that included Tiffany and Sophia Smith, and Monique and Abby McCullough, with the latter pair also belonging to the Mississippi Animal Project nearby.

The rescue team was joined by Brandy Schmid and Jessica Cameron of the Humane Society and firemen from the Third District Fire Department, located in Franklinton, and Washington Parish deputies. 

Team members spent three days at the site, improvising makeshift tools to accommodate the well’s small opening before eventually lowering a rope down the narrow well shaft and pulling one puppy up at a time. All five puppies were successfully retrieved from the well and reunited with their mother.

“We felt hopeless and felt this was an impossible task but we could not just give up and not try,” explains Jessica Cameron, Director of Animal Services for the Humane Society. “We are relieved and overjoyed at the outcome!”

The puppies, which have become minor celebrities on social media platforms such as TikTok, were transported to the Mandeville Animal Hospital (MAH) for care before they are sent to the Humane Society for adoption.

“In my 33 years of work in this field, I’ve never seen a rescue operation quite like this one,” says Jeff Dorson, HSLA Director. “There were so many obstacles to overcome, but the rescuers never gave up and succeeded against difficult and long odds. I could not be prouder or more grateful for their efforts.”

The Humane Society expects that the puppies’ medical care, boarding, and transport fees will cost more than $1,000. Those interested in donating to their recovery can contribute online through the Humane Society’s website at www.humanela.org, under donate, or through Paypal at humanela@gmail.com. Donations can also be mailed to HSLA, P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174.  All donations are tax-deductible.