"They say a dog is a man's best friend, but on Wednesday, it was a group of compassionate individuals who became heroes for a dog in distress.
The Claypool Police Department, in collaboration with the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office and the Sidney Fire Department, sprang into action to rescue Oden, a dog who had found himself in a tight spot on Wednesday in the 3500 block of East CR 900S.
Oden had been missing for a harrowing 12 hours, and his worried family eventually located him with his head stuck in a small hole atop a large mower deck. The Claypool Police Department shared this heartwrenching story on their Facebook page.
Oden had been trapped for so long that his head had swelled, making it impossible for him to free himself. Given his mixed breed of pit bull and rottweiler, Oden's head was naturally substantial.
In a phone interview on that Wednesday afternoon, Claypool Town Marshal Ben Sanders revealed that the family had scoured their extensive 80-acre property in search of the missing dog.
Kaden Krull, one of Oden's owners, mentioned that Oden is 6 years old and had gone missing around 8:30 or 9 p.m. on Tuesday. While he does bark on occasion, it was a rare occurrence, and they had not heard him making any noise.
Eventually, another one of the family's dogs, a black Labrador named Kolby, led them to Oden, located on the west side of the property behind some trees, as Sanders explained. Kaden affirmed that Kolby was the hero who found Oden.
After the family's attempts to free Oden from the hole proved unsuccessful, Douglas Krull, another family member, contacted central dispatch for help. Initially reaching out to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office, the call brought Marshal Sanders to the scene promptly, as he was nearby.
Initially, the responders only knew that Oden's head was trapped, but they were uncertain about the type of hole involved.
Upon learning that the owner was more concerned about saving his dog than the mower, the Sidney Fire Department was summoned for their expertise in rescuing Oden. The Sidney Fire Department arrived swiftly and wasted no time in setting up the necessary equipment to liberate Oden, as described on the Claypool Police Department's Facebook page.
Sidney Fire Chief Kevin Wagoner explained that they raised the mower and placed cribbing beneath it. One of the team members got under the mower to hold Oden's head and ensure his safety during the cutting process.
"It was just a matter of cutting and bending to get the dog's head out," Wagoner said.
The tools used during the rescue heated up the mower, according to Sanders, so water was poured on it to keep it cool. Additionally, a mixture of Dawn detergent soap was employed to facilitate the process of freeing Oden's head from the hole.
Once Oden was finally liberated, he began to walk around, allowing the officers and firefighters to pet him as a gesture of gratitude. Sanders noted that Oden displayed no signs of aggression throughout the ordeal.
Wagoner added that Oden appeared to be in good health and was loaded into a vehicle for further care.
"I'm assuming he'll be okay," Wagoner reassured."
