FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – How far would you go to save an animal needing rescue? One local woman climbed into a drainage pipe this week after hearing an underground cry for help.
As Kari Grisetti climbed down a manhole, she crossed the line from an animal lover to a rescuer.
“You have your normal people and then you have like what we call our animal rescue people,” said Grisetti.
Most would agree that climbing downing into a drain pipe with a flashlight categorizes you as pretty serious about pets.
“You’ll notice a difference in how you approach things when it comes to animals and what you’re willing to do to help them,” Grisette said.
Earlier this week, Grisetti found herself at the bottom of a manhole near a local business in Franklin County as a kitten cried for help in the drainage pipe.
After several attempts to call it out, Grisetti crawls all the way in, disappearing from the view of the camera.
“I figured, well, I could climb in. If it does start getting nasty, I could just craw back out,” she said.
With another Franklin County Humane Society volunteer recording from the top, she said she felt safe.
“With all of us working as a team, it works out pretty good, because what one person might not do, another person would,” said Grisetti.
Trollie is the four-week-old kitten they fished out of the pipe. Grisetti is now fostering her and the rest of the litter.
While others have criticized her for the bold move, she takes comfort in knowing she saved a life.
“She would have never survived on her own,” said Grisetti. “You pretty much do what you need to do to get it taken care of.”