CHENNAI: Jillu, a stray dog, had been barking for hours on Wednesday. She was pacing up and down, and peeping into a dark well at a vacant plot on Thumbavanam Street in Kancheepuram.
Local residents could not understand why Jillu was restless and barking.
A day later, on Thursday afternoon, a resident checked on Jillu and found that her puppies had fallen inside a 20-foot-deep well. They were struggling to come out and all along their mother had been barking for help.
The resident informed the fire and rescue services personnel in Kancheepuram and three firemen led by Saravanan rushed to the scene. The firemen took 30 minutes to rescue the puppies, who were born three days ago.
“The puppies were struggling in the dark and looking for a way to come out. But they kept hitting against the wall instead,” said Saravanan, adding that the well was dark and the team could only hear the puppies squeak.
The team entered the well and used a bucket to bring the puppies out. “The dog stopped barking only after we climbed out,” he said.
Since the well was uncovered, the newly born puppies might have slipped into it, residents said. Locals, who had thronged the place to witness the rescue operation, thanked and applauded the firemen.