Three-Legged Dog Dies in Macon Storm Drain

People in the neighborhood called him, Lucky.

Residents on Monroe Street say instead of rescuing the dog, animal control just left him to die.

“I was shocked at the attitude that particularly the animal control officers had. It appeared to me they didn’t care whether the dog died or not,” said Lee Martin.

Martin heard from his neighbors that a dog had been stuck in a storm drain. He immediately called everyone he could think of that could rescue the animal, but to his surprise no one could help.

“How it got around that long if in fact it was that long without us getting involved is kind of hard to understand,” said Macon-Bibb Assistant Fire Chief Clifford Rushin.

No one seems to know how Lucky got in the drain or exactly how long he had been stuck. By the time Macon-Bibb County Fire Department was called to the scene, it was too late.

“When they got in there they noticed the dog wasn’t moving, there was nothing going on with the animal at that time and it was pretty much established they figured the dog had actually deceased at the point we got involved.”

Macon City Councilman Rick Hutto stated, “I do put the fault completely with the animal control people, I don’t at all blame the fire department. By the time the fire department was called in, it was five days later after the dog had been stuck down in this storm drain.”

According to Hutto, animal control visited the location a couple of times. First, they reported no animal was found. The next day, they left food to make the dog crawl out. However it was impossible for Lucky to get out on his own.

Chief Rushin says the fire department would never intentionally try to harm an animal.

“I think it’s a real tragedy for Macon. It could have been a heroic effort and they could have saved a beautiful neighborhood dog. He was 3-legged, lost a leg to a car accident and we called him Lucky, he wasn’t lucky this time,” said Martin.

According to a Macon Police spokesperson, a Macon Animal Control civilian employee has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the current investigation.

According to a Facebook page in support of the dog, that employee has now resigned.