SAN DIEGO — For days, residents in Logan Heights heard a dog whimpering in a storm drain. The Humane Society called Babs Fry, a volunteer pet detective.
"You never want to get a call like that," said Babs. "She had been first reported as far back as May 1. I knew right away that we needed to do some investigating."
Babs has been rescuing dogs for five years. She said she rescues about a dog a day. In this case in Logan Heights, it was a four-day journey working 12-hour shifts.
Babs started leaving food for the dog to gain trust and time in order to carefully craft a plan.
"There were a lot of variables that made this very risky for the dog," said Babs.
Her next move? Ordering an underground camera from Cable Pipe and Leak Detection, a company known as CPL.
"In all of your years, have you ever had a call out like this before?" I asked.
Morgan Hamilton told me, "No. I've seen animals in storm drains, raccoons, and skunks and possums and rats and stuff - but never a dog that we were trying to find."
Morgan said he would have usually charged a minimum of $800 for the service, but he did this job for free.
"I'm a dog lover. I've got a couple of dogs. I can't imagine if my dog - or any dog for that matter - was down there," said Morgan.
CPL used a rolling robot to locate the dog and then gently guide the animal toward the light.
"I just kind of nudged just a bit to encourage her to get back out into the storm basin itself. That's where Babs was waiting," said Morgan.
"One wrong move and she could have been gone forever," said Babs.
In other words, "down the drain." Instead that dirty dog survived cockroaches, rats, and who know how many days in the dark.
"I can't put into words how it touches me," said Babs, who worked alongside her team of volunteers.
The dog was not micro-chipped and has no ID. There are also no missing dog online posts or posters in the area.
"My dream in anyone of these cases is to have that your dog that you thought you'd never seen again [be] recovered safely," said Babs, who wants to find the dog's owner or a new loving family to take care of her.
Babs and her team will file a missing dog report and deliver the lucky girl to the Humane Society with a name they hope will stick.
"Stormie because she spent her time underground in the storm system," said Babs with a tear in her eye.
I said, "I always like to ask you this. How much did you get paid?"
Babs told me, "I always do this for free. I mean, this is priceless. This is priceless. That is priceless."
However, she will accept donations and if your animal goes missing, you know who to call. Babs can be contacted on her Facebook Page. You can also read more about Stormie's rescue.