UPDATE: Carl the Airedale Is Rescued, and So Was A Dachshund

There’s a happy ending on this post-Valentine’s Day evening for Carl the Airedale.

He’s home safe and sound …. and warm after he went missing Feb. 10.

Turns out Carl was just five houses away from his central Greenwich home but no one knew where he was until a resident on Indian Harbor Drive called Greenwich Police about noon Saturday to report they heard a dog barking from inside a construction site. 

Officers from Greenwich Police and the department’s Animal Control Division responded along with the crew of the Greenwich Fire Department Engine 1.

“He was down in a foundation of condos that are under construction,” said Engine 1 Lt. Ryan Brainerd. “There were no discernable tracks in the snow, so we think he was there since before the snowstorm.”

According to Kristina, Carl’s owner, who didn’t want to be fully identified, Carl went missing on Monday, Feb. 10 and she and her family had been frantically searching for him, posting flyers around town. But their efforts were stymied by the snowstorm.

About noon Saturday, a nearby resident summoned police after hearing a dog yelping. The resident reported having heard a dog barking in the area of 25 Indian Harbor Dr. over three days. Apparently, the yelping on Saturday, prompted the call to police.

According to Brainerd, his crew used ladders and two firefighters carried Carl out of the foundation. He estimated Carl had fallen about 12 feet into the foundation, with the snow apparently cushioning his fall.

“He wasn’t injured and was reunited with his owner at the scene,” Brainerd said. Kristina said Carl was no-worse-for-the-wear and was "such a ham, he posed for a picture with his rescuers."

Kristina said that after the rescue, Carl got a clean bill of health from his veterinarian. “(Carl was given) a few of his favorite biscuits with a little milk as a treat but the vet said to go slowly with the food since he had lost six pounds,” Kristina said. 

The family has had six-year-old Carl since he was a puppy they purchased from a breeder in New Canaan, Kristina said. “I’m just thrilled he’s home. Friends were saying they were praying to St. Anthony … it all worked out,” Kristina said. “I would also love to (give) a special special shout-out to Suzanne (Carlin) at Greenwich Animal Control, the FD and PD of Greenwich.  I phoned them all several times a day last week; they were very supportive and had helpful suggestions.”

And for Brainerd and his crew, Carl’s rescue was one of two on Saturday.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Brainerd and his crew rescued a dachshund that became wedged beneath a wooden, outdoor playhouse on Rockwood Lane in Greenwich.

“The dachshund was chasing some sort of animal and got stuck under the porch of an outdoor playhouse,” Brainerd said. “We had to cut into the floor and porch of the shed-style playhouse. He was a little cold and shivering and Mom had to help coax him out. He wouldn’t come to us.”

Brainerd added, “We’re two for two today for dog rescues.”