Faroe the Pit Bull Terrier had quite an adventure Saturday on the Chicago River. It started with him running away, winding up in a drain pipe, and eventually being rescued by a Chicago Police Department diver.
A boater on the river first noticed Faroe peering out from the drainpipe Saturday afternoon and called police. CPD’s Marine Unit, which was already patrolling nearby, responded. At the same time, Faroe’s owner, Brandon Hilliard, was searching for her. Faroe had run off earlier in the morning, and Brandon was searching the area when he saw an alert on an app about a stranded dog that looked like her.
Brandon’s sister called the Marine Unit to confirm the dog might be his, and officers quickly reached out to Brandon. He boarded the police boat as it made its way toward the scene.
Once there, Marine Unit officers saw Faroe wedged nervously inside the pipe. A diver entered the water to coax her out, but she resisted. That’s when Brandon handed over one of Faroe’s squeaky toys, which turned out to be the trick. The diver used the toy to calm Faroe, then carefully guided her out of the drainpipe and onto the boat.
“I’m so thankful a good Samaritan spotted Faroe, and that my sister, the Chicago Police Department and everyone involved helped reunite me with my best friend,” Brandon said afterward.
Faroe, a rescue dog Brandon adopted last year, is doing just fine.
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