A team of water and sewer workers from the city of Lucedale, Mississippi, reunited an 8-week-old pit bull with his family after finding the lost pup in a 4-inch sewer pipe outside the home where the dog was playing.

WLOX-TV reports that the puppy, Boss, and his siblings were let outside around 10:30 p.m. on June 23 when he fell backwards into the sewer. The family called the local police and fire departments, which brought in extra help.

According to the report, wildlife workers, animal rescue volunteers and a plumber dug a hole around the pipe, but couldn’t see Boss. The next morning, the family contacted the mayor, who then called the Lucedale Water and Sewer Department.

“Well, I thought, I don’t do this every day,” Water Superintendent Kevin Cochran says.

The city crew used a MyTana sewer inspection camera the department purchased in 2007 to locate the lost pooch. They then excavated a large pit across the street to access the dog.

“We dug up the pipe and cut a window out of it, and thank goodness it was right there close to him,” Cochran says. “We reached in and got him.”

The rescue effort took four hours.

“It was an experience,” Cochran says. “Better than looking for leaks.”

The city of Lucedale (Mississippi) Water and Sewer Department (from left): Eddie Jones (maintenance technician), Stevie Martin (maintenance technician), Kevin Cochran (water superintendent/operator), Tim Holland (operator).

Source: WLOX-TV