Firefighters rescued poodle with paw stuck in bathtub plug hole

A poodle in Albuquerque was freed with the help of firefighters after one of its paws got stuck in a bathtub plug hole for several hours. Selene Ortega, 12, said she was giving Morita the poodle a bath at her home night when something went wrong. “I tried picking her up and she kind of like, screamed,” Ortega said. “I checked what was going on and her foot was stuck in there.”



It got stuck in the bathtub plug hole. “I was a bit scared because she was yelling,” Ortega said. When Ortega and her family couldn’t get Morita out, they called for help. However, it was tough finding the right person for the job. “I had to call several places because I called the vet and they told me to call the plumber and the plumber told me to call housing and housing told me to call 911,” Ortega said.

911 dispatched Animal Welfare, which then had to call in the Albuquerque Fire Department. “First, they were trying to get her foot out of there with lotion and shampoo, oil and stuff like that,” Ortega said. Then, the last resort: Firefighters had to cut open the bathtub, sending Morita and the plug hole to a vet, who eventually removed it.


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Ortega said Morita didn’t break anything and is just recovering from the swelling. “She is doing good,” she said. “I guess she has to be taking pills for the pain.” Now, the family is working on getting their bathtub replaced. It is unclear how much that will end up costing. Animal Welfare said pet owners should use plug hole covers to prevent situations like this.