Dogs survive 11 days trapped in storm drain

When Rottweilers Trixi and Boscoe went missing from a Schaumburg construction yard 12 days ago, their owners feared they'd been stolen.

Turns out, the frightened pair were trapped in a pipe 12 feet below the surface.

"We just can't believe they were literally right under us the whole time," said Tracy Lampignano, office manager and owner of A Lamp Concrete Contractors, where the dogs live. "We canvassed the entire town."

A truck driver heard Trixi whimpering late Monday morning, setting off a dramatic rescue requiring hours of excavating.

Trixi was quickly rescued, but her sidekick was nowhere to be found.

"We didn't hear a sound but knew Boscoe had to be down there too," said Lampignano. "She was in heat and he was following her everywhere."

A robot attached with a camera was lowered into the sewer line. Boscoe was located minutes later, about 220 feet away. A Lamp workers had to cut through roadway, grate, layers of asphalt and earth before pulling him from an abandoned manhole.

The pups, both less than a year old, were extremely dehydrated but suffered only minor injuries. The normally 90-pound Boscoe is about 20 pounds lighter and Trixi's ribs are showing.

Lampignano says they're spending most of the day passed out.

"They're scared and skittish," said Lampignano. "But they've had baths and the vet says they'll be OK."

She's confident the lovable and dainty Trixi and happy-go-lucky Boscoe will be back to their mischievous selves in no time at all. Just how they got underground may stay a mystery, however.