Missing German Shepherd Rescued From Mobile Storm Drain After Three Weeks
Mobile animal services rescued Ignatius, a German Shepherd missing three weeks, after neighbors traced days of barking to a storm drain.
After nearly three weeks without their dog, a Mobile family has Ignatius back home — thanks to city animal services officers and a distinctive tail.
The 9-year-old German Shepherd slipped out of his family’s backyard one night and vanished. His owner, Brittany Leahy, said hope had started to fade as the weeks passed with no sign of him.
Thursday, someone called the City of Mobile’s Animal Services after realizing that barking they had heard for days was coming from a storm drain.
Animal Control Officer Hill recognized the dog immediately from a missing-dog post. “Once I saw his face out of the drain, I knew I had seen that dog before,” Hill said, describing his six-inch tail as unmistakable. When officers approached, Ignatius startled and turned away — but his tail gave him away again.
Hill contacted the family, who rushed to the scene. The moment of recognition came quickly: Ignatius staring up from the drain, jumping and wagging as his owner called down to him.
