THOMASTON — A dog is now back on solid ground, and no worse for the wear, after a firefighter pulled it from a wastewater lagoon in Thomaston, Thursday afternoon, July 27.

The dog had been on a walk with its owner near the water treatment area when it somehow ended up in a sewage lagoon in a no-trespassing zone.

A water pollution control employee with the town wastewater department called 911 just prior to 2:58 p.m., after being approached by the dog owner. The employee first requested a dog rescue. However, he then looked up from his phone and found that the man had disappeared, leading to a brief series of reports that the man had fallen in as well.

Thomaston Fire Department responded to the scene with three or four members, with several more en route as the heightened story piqued intrigue. Yet the reality remained far more benign, according to Thomaston Fire Chief Mikhail Mazzeo.

The man had not fallen in and the means of retrieving the dog were quite low key. Thomaston has three treatment lagoons which handle the three different stages of water treatment. The lagoon with the dog was sloped long. The dog was not in bad shape, but merely couldn’t catch traction as it tried to scale back up.

A firefighter walked down the slope, grabbed hold of the dog, and returned with it. All in all, an estimated ten minutes away from the station. No gear. No rope. No fire-fighting uniform.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com