Callie Clemens, along with her dog Giselle and a small team of volunteers, have spent the past three days searching cockroach infested storm drains in Houston in a desperate attempt to rescue a litter of trapped puppies.
The rescue mission began when someone reported seeing a litter of puppies crossing the street, but lost sight of them and could only hear whimpers.
Clemens, who is the ex daughter-in-law of New York Yankees legend Roger Clemens, told Dailymail.com the area is infamous for ‘puppy dumping’ – where people abandon their unwanted dogs, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Despite the challenges and potential risks, she felt compelled to take action, stating: ‘I knew nobody would do it, so I had to jump in.’
Clemens, who started a nonprofit Paws Off The Streets, found two of the black lab mutts on Friday and was heading back into the drain Saturday night alone to find the last one. If the third puppy is found, it will be taken to the city shelter, but Clemens is so invested she is contemplating keeping it.
‘There’s no way the puppy can get out by it’s self so it’s up to us and I have no shame to go down and get it,’ she told Dailymail.com with a hoarse voice after days of yelling through the tunnels. She has also injured her foot and is taking antibiotics after spending hours in the dirty water.
Pictured: Callie Clemens with one of the dogs she rescued. Over the past three days, Callie Clemens, along with her dog Giselle, and a team of volunteers, have been searching roach infested storm drains in Houston in a dedicated effort to rescue a trapped litter of puppies
Despite the challenges and potential risks, Clemens felt compelled to take action, stating, ‘I knew nobody would do it, so I knew I had to jump in’
In her seven years of doing rescues, Clemens said she has never lost a dog, and said she is not about to start now.
Clemens, who has been fighting for the lives of vulnerable animals in need for years, was called and did not hesitate to start the search.
At 11:20 PM on Friday night, Clemens arrived at the scene accompanied by her dog Giselle, a skilled animal sniffer.
Despite lacking any special gear or knowledge of that specific underground terrain, Clemens fearlessly ventured into the cockroach-infested drains upon hearing the puppies’ cries.
As she descended, the frightened pups scampered away from her.
‘The puppies screamed. They got louder and ran away. We had to try and corner them. We ended up going more north,’ she said.
‘I saw them pretty quickly. They ran away, they were tiny,’ she added.
The dedicated group of volunteers managed to rescue two of the lost litter, but Clemens could still hear one or two others underground.
The volunteers used dog sounds on their phones, hoping to elicit a response from the remaining puppies.
Throughout Friday night, the volunteers persevered in their search, wading through unpleasant water and braving nests of cockroaches in their quest to locate the crying puppies.
Clemens remains determined, asserting, ‘I know they’re still in there; I just think they’re further down.’
Even after staying underground until nearly 2am, she’s prepared to go back down Saturday night and won’t rest until she finds the last pup of the litter.
According to Clemens, the city has been supportive, unlocking the drain and providing engineers to assist her in going down.
One engineer even created a map of the drains to aid in her search for any remaining puppies.She found two dogs on Friday and is heading back into the drain tonight alone to find the last one
At 11:20 PM on Friday night, Clemens arrived at the scene accompanied by her dog Giselle, a skilled animal sniffer
If the third puppy is found, it will be taken to the city shelter, but Clemens is so emotionally invested that she’s contemplating keeping it herself
Despite lacking any special gear or knowledge of that specific underground terrain, Clemens fearlessly ventured into the cockroach-infested drains upon hearing the puppies’ cries
The dedicated group of volunteers managed to rescue two of the lost litter, but Clemens could still hear one or two others underground
The volunteers used dog sounds on their phones, hoping to elicit a response from the remaining puppies