Sirens Closing In
Now that she knew the dog was doing it on purpose, she finally decided to look into the storm drain. But as she peered inside, the hair on her neck stood up as something that made her want to throw up.
In a panicked state, she pulled out her cellphone and called the only number she thought could help. After ten minutes of waiting, she finally heard the sirens closing in.
A New Yorker
She was a New Yorker born and raised. She was always very proud of her city, even if there were a few glaring problems that it had. The homeless and stray problems came to mind.
She just wished there was more affordable housing for the homeless and more shelters for stray animals. She often thought about this fact, but it never put her off. She was still a proud New Yorker.
Nancy Armstrong
Nancy Armstrong was a tough, independent woman who had lived in Brooklyn all of her life. She had a fascination with journalism and investigating the unknown. Her curiosity always led her into trouble as a teenager.
But now a young adult, Nancy knew that the world was full of opportunities for her. She managed to get a job as a tabloid writer. It wasn't exactly her dream job as her burning curiosity wasn't quite satisfied. But one day, her curiosity would get the better of her.
Walk On The Weekends
Nancy loved to take a walk through Brooklyn on her weekends. She'd normally find streets packed with vendors and other curiosities. It also gave her an excuse to stop by her favorite butcher just five blocks from her house.
But if something curious were what Nancy was looking for, she'd soon be looking directly at it on her way out of the butcher shop.
A Stray
Nancy stopped by her local butcher and bought her favorite pork sausages. It was the only shop in town that made them just the way she liked. But on the way out, she came across a peculiar site.
He saw a stray. There was nothing strange about that, but it was what the stray was doing that caught her attention. Her curiosity wouldn't let her just ignore them.
Staring Down At A Drain
Nancy walked up to the stray and watched as it stared down into a storm drain. The dog seemed just as curious as her and wanted to get to something down there. But once the dog heard her coming, it quickly locked its gaze on her.
It was eyeing up her sausages. Strays often couldn't find proper meals for days at a time. Nancy stared down at the begging dog and decided to give in to its pleading eyes. But she didn't know how much she'd regret it.
Dropping The Food
A minute later, the dog was standing in front of the drain with a sausage in its mouth. Nancy started walking back to her apartment when she turned back to see the dog dropping half the sausage she had given it into the drain.
She rolled her eyes and kept walking, the poor stray must have clumsily dropped the sausage, and now it was gone. But little did she know, the stray did it intentionally.
The Next Week
The following week, Nancy was back on her weekly walk around the neighborhood. The stray was the furthest thing from her mind until she got to the butcher shop again. She eyed the storm drain, and sure enough, the dog was still there.
This time, a curiosity sparked in her. She wanted to know what the dog thought was so interesting inside the drain. She decided to go back to the butcher and get the dog another treat. But this time, she wouldn't be ready for the outcome.
Another Sausage
After another quick stop at the butcher shop, Nancy came out with an extra sausage. She wanted to see what the stray would do with the food this time. She walked out, and sure enough, the stray started salivating at the sight of the meat.
Nancy managed to get closer to the stray this time. She was close to the storm drain and could nearly see what was inside. But she needed to make sure the dog trusted her first.
Trust
Even though she had it eating out of the palm of her hand, strays could be unpredictable. She didn't want to make it feel like she was going to steal whatever was in the drain from the animal. She just wanted to help if she could.
So she gave the sausage to the dog and watched her experiment unfold. The dog walked up to the drain cover and, sure enough, dropped half again. It was no accident!
A Look Inside
Now that she knew the dog was doing it on purpose, she finally decided to look into the storm drain. But as she peered inside, the hair on her neck stood up as something that made her want to throw up.
In a panicked state, she pulled out her cellphone and called the only number she thought could help. After ten minutes of waiting, she finally heard the sirens closing in.
Calling The Firefighters
What Nancy saw made her immediately dial 911 and request that firefighters come to help her. After waiting for ten minutes, they finally arrived on the scene. They brought all the necessary tools for the job.
The pros got to work opening the storm drain, and Nancy still felt shaken. The dog even didn't even seem comfortable letting them get into the storm drain, but they had to after what she saw.
Kittens
After another 15 minutes, the firefighters managed to get out the animals that Nancy saw trapped in the storm drain. There were five kittens that had been trapped in the drain.
They looked in good health despite being down there for a while. They meowed at Nancy, and the stray immediately ran over in concern.
A Hero Dog
After the firefighters thanked her for reporting it, she smiled at told them that it was all thanks to the stray dog that she even noticed the kittens. She recognized that he had been feeding the kittens while they were trapped.
She knew they would have starved if not for the dog getting involved. So she decided to do something spontaneous that she never normally did.
Adoption
With the kittens all going to a foster home, Nancy thought it was unfair that the stray dog would stay on the streets. She decided to take the dog home. It seemed he didn't need much convincing. He clearly remembered that she was the one that gave him food and helped him save the trapped kittens. Now he would have a new home and never have to live on the streets again.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.