The concrete tunnel echoed with panicked whimpers as the tiny Yorkshire terrier clung to the slick walls, her paws slipping against the damp stone. Just minutes earlier, five-month-old Cece had been trotting happily down a Woonsocket sidewalk when the sudden roar of a passing car sent her darting into the storm drain in terror.
Now, wedged twenty feet into the dark passage with icy water swirling around her legs, the trembling puppy had nowhere to go.
Peggy Edwards spotted the flash of movement as she walked near the canal that April afternoon. Peering into the tunnel’s mouth, her heart sank at the sight of the soaked, shivering pup. “I knew I had to help,” Edwards later recalled, “but one wrong move could send her deeper into that pipe.” Her hands shook as she dialed 911, praying the responding officer would understand the urgency.
Officer Joe Brazil arrived within minutes, assessing the situation with calm precision. Without hesitation, he rolled up his pant legs, kicked off his shoes, and waded into the knee-deep water. The chill hit him immediately, but Brazil focused on the pair of terrified eyes reflecting his flashlight beam. “Easy now, little one,” he murmured as he inched forward, letting Cece sniff his outstretched fingers before gently scooping her up. The moment Brazil’s hands closed around her drenched fur, Cece’s trembling stopped – as if she suddenly understood she was safe.
At the Woonsocket Animal Shelter, staff towel-dried the exhausted pup while scanning for a microchip. Meanwhile, Michelle Perez was retracing her neighborhood for the third time, sick with worry. She’d only had Cece for thirty-six hours – a surprise gift from her mother-in-law – when the puppy slipped out unnoticed.
“I kept imagining her lost forever,” Perez admitted, tears welling when she got the call about Brazil’s rescue. Their reunion at the shelter was a blur of wagging tails and grateful hugs, with Perez promising to microchip Cece immediately.
For Officer Brazil, it was just another day on duty – though the viral Facebook post celebrating his barefoot heroics suggested otherwise. “All in a day’s work,” he shrugged when local news stations asked about the rescue. But those who saw the photo of Brazil cradling the bedraggled puppy knew better: true compassion doesn’t hesitate to get its feet wet. As for Cece? She’s now the most famous – and most closely watched – terrier in Woonsocket, with a story that proves even the darkest tunnels can lead to happy endings.