c2 When a stray dog wandered out onto a dry patch at Khadakwasla Dam for a nap last Friday evening, little did the animal know that rising water from the reservoir would trap him on an island for several hours, even as the rain poured down unabated.The case created a furore on social media when a passerby posted a photo of the trapped dog, leaving animal lovers clamouring for him to be saved. Luckily, three youths risked their lives to rescue the stray, and with help from local firemen brought him — and themselves — to safety.Budding herpetologists Mehboob Vijapurkar (20) and Ajay Marathe (24), both residents of Warje-Malwadi and mechanics by profession, had gone to the Khadakwasla backwaters early on Saturday morning for a walk, when they noticed the dog struggling to escape the swirling water. As they assessed the situation, passerby Sachin Yadav (24) joined them on the small bridge. Without a second thought, Vijapurkar and Marathe tied a nylon rope to the structure and climbed down; Yadav, too, went down third, prepared to assist them. But while they managed to rescue the wet, terrified dog, the trio had no way to climb out themselves. This was when the fire brigade was summoned, and provided an extension ladder.Speaking to Mirror, Marathe — a member of the Pune District Wild Animals and Snake Protection Society (WASPS), like Vijapurkar — shared, “We reached the spot around 8 am and saw the dog. We assumed the water level was manageable, and the canine would escape the patch easily. Twenty minutes later, as we returned to our bike, we saw that the dog was still there — and water levels had risen massively. We tried to get into the water over the rocks at one end of the bridge, but the water level kept rising. The depth from the bridge was 25 feet, and difficult to scale down. Someone had already informed the fire brigade about the dog — but we didn’t want to waste any time.”Marathe shared that he was inspired by Vijapurkar to join animal rescue services, in which they had both been participating in recent months. “To save the dog, we hailed a small tempo for help, as we needed a rope. The driver gave us a nylon rope he had — but it was very thin and we doubted it could bear our weight. We doubled it and tied it to a beam of the bridge. In the meantime, a crowd had gathered, and many suggestions were flying around. My friend climbed down and tried to get closer to the scared dog, but he could not get a firm grip on the slippery rock, and fell. I decided to climb down immediately, but had to do so with a single hand, because I had sustained an injury some months ago.”Once down, they asked people to throw the rope to them, and decided to tie one end to Vijapurkar’s leg so he would not flow away if he slipped, with Marathe holding the other end. Before throwing the rope, Yadav also joined them. By this time, Vijapurkar wrapped his jacket around the dog and picked him up, passing him to Yadav. The rope was tied securely around the dog’s body and its ends looped around Marathe’s shoes, which he threw up to the bridge. Locals pulled the dog up safely, but the rope had become too weakened to support the weight of three humans in turn. Fortunately, the fire brigade reached the location at this time.Fireman Pramod Maral, posted at Sinhagad fire brigade office, told Mirror, “At 8 am, 4,280 cusecs of water were released from the dam; at 8.30 am, we received a call about the trapped dog. But when we reached the bridge, the stray had already been rescued by three young men. However, they couldn’t climb up and water levels were rising. We immediately extended a ladder to them and they were out in five minutes. Later, we were told the poor dog was stuck there since Friday night.”Summing up the situation, Vijapurkar said, “It was our responsibility to rescue the dog. We did it without any qualms — it was our job.”

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