No Sign of Pooch in Pipe at Fountain Valley School

Orange County Animal Control officers have been unable to locate a dog stuck in a drainpipe since at least Thursday morning at Northcutt Elementary School in Fountain Valley.

The whimpering animal drew the attention of the schoolchildren, which in turn led to a two-day effort to free it.

"We haven't seen or heard anything today," said animal control Sgt. Kyle Werner late Friday. "We're tapering off the search."

Werner says officials think the dog may have exited the pipe through an outlet that they are unaware of. Two cameras fed into the pipes today turned up nothing.

Officials got a brief look at the animal Thursday morning.

"We've seen it only once," said Katie Ingram, community outreach supervisor for animal control, "and that was a glimpse of its rear end. Its bushy tail leads us to think it's either a shepherd mix on the smaller side, or a coyote pup."

The animal could be heard moving around in the drainpipe at 9 p.m. Thursday.

"It's hard to say what happened," Werner said. "We've gone through every pipe it could fit in." He said animal control would continue to monitor the area Friday evening.

Ingram said that animal control officers work to free any animal that's in danger.

"Regardless of whether it's a wild or domestic animal, it's of concern to us," she said. "If it is a coyote, we will rerelease it."