FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of determined veterinarians and plumbers came to the rescue of a dog that found himself stuck in a tight spot in Fort Lauderdale.

Margo Blake said she was giving her poodle Rocco a bath on Tuesday, but her pet hit a snag when bathtime was over.

“I tried to take him out. He wouldn’t come out of the tub,” she said.

Rocco had gotten his tiny paw stuck in the drain. Well, maybe not so tiny, because no matter what the poodle’s owner tried, she couldn’t get it out.

“It was frightening. It was scary, because it’s, like, you’re helpless,” said Blake.

The concerned owner called several veterinary clinics.

“I was calling different vets, and people thought I was joking,” she said. “I was like, ‘My dog’s paw [is stuck],’ and they were like, ‘Click.'”

Except for Victoria Park Animal Hospital.

“We said, ‘Of course, let’s see what we can do,'” said Dr. Alison Birken, a vet at the animal hospital.

Birken also called a plumber, Rangers Maintenance out of Plantation, and Operation Rescue Rocco was on.

“The drain has almost like a wheel of metals, and it got stuck in a circular metal piece,” said Birken.

“We went ahead and gave a sedative, and that helped a little bit, but no matter what, so we had to give a little more,” said Brittnne Bennett with the animal hospital.

Cellphone video captured Blake trying to comfort her whimpering pet.

“It’s OK, Rocco, it’s OK,” she said.

The plumbers tried to go in from the side, exposing the pipes, but no matter how they tried to manipulate, the dog would wake up, so they had to basically dig the drain out.

“I was like, ‘Be careful with how you’re chiseling,’ because his toe, because it’s so sensitive,” said Blake.

“His toe was stuck in that little ring center where the stopper would have gone in,” said Bennett.

Plumbers hammered away and were able to remove Rocco from the bathtub, but the dog’s ordeal wasn’t quite over.

“When we got the dog out of the bathtub, we still had to get the actual piece off the dog, so then we had to further go and cut that piece off,” said Birken.

About 16 hours after its ordeal began, Rocco was fine and recuperating at the animal hospital.

Wednesday evening, 7News cameras showed Rocco, fast asleep inside his kennel.

While Rocco relaxes, the humans responsible for his rescue are feeling pretty good.

When asked how many times she had seen the cellphone video, Birken replied, “This was my first. This was a good story.”

“Today was great. This is what I live for,” said Bennett.

“It’s community. It really is community. Everybody’s intention was to rescue Rocco,” said Blake.

A spokesperson with Rangers Maintenance confirmed they were behind the rescue, adding they’ve never done anything like this.

While Rocco is expected to be released from the animal hospital soon, Blake has been left with quite a mess to clean up in her bathroom.

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