In the English city of Leeds, a drainage company has spent a great deal of time and effort freeing a dog from an awkward situation. The bull terrier Martha got into a sewer while romping around - and couldn't get out on her own. She was already 26 meters in the pipe.

Owner Susan O'Reilly Millicent was desperate, but was unable to help her dog herself in an emergency. Even the fire brigade could not solve the problem. So she asked for help on a local Facebook group. There she actually found specialists who are familiar with working in and on long sewage pipes - the company "Dr. Drainage", which, as the name suggests, specializes in drainage work. In fact, the workers managed to free Martha. However, this required a great deal of effort.

However, Fez Mazhar and his business partner Josh Longford spared no effort. "Josh asked me if we should rent a digger and go on this rescue mission," Mazhar told the BBC. "And I said yes." They would have wanted to free the dog at all costs so that the owner could go home with her, the company wrote on Facebook.

First, a special thermal imaging camera was used to determine how deep the dog was in the canal - 26 meters. After that, the employees of "Dr. Drainage" began to dig the path. A difficult project that lasted 18 hours: "We arrived at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon and were finished at 9 a.m. on Sunday," reported Fez Mazhar. A few times the team was about to give up, but in the end the dog Martha was able to regain its freedom - after a day and a half in captivity.

The relief for the owner Susan O'Reilly Millicent was correspondingly great: "We can't find the words to express how grateful we are to each and every one of you for your willing help and the determination you all have shown," she wrote on Facebook to everyone involved in the rescue operation. "Even when hope was fading, you didn't give up on Martha. We will forever be grateful to you all."

Sources: BBC / Dr. Drainage on Facebook / comment by Susamn O'Reilly Millicent