Mr LoSchiavo said Kasha darted into the channel then let out a yelp of fright. Thinking it could’ve been a snakebite, he crawled into the pipe as well hoping to save his beloved pet.

“I crawled along into the darkness and discovered an uncovered shaft at the end of the tunnel that the dog had fallen down,” he said.

Mr LoSchiavo then ran to a nearby house and banged on the door and the lady of the house called for help.

“When NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Ambulance first arrived on the scene their first concern was for the distressed man,” Bombala Deputy Captain Malcolm Lavender said.

“You could feel the man’s distress, his love and concern for the dog and we wanted to make sure he was okay and then we formulated a plan to rescue the dog.

“It was the first animal rescue the crew had been involved with in quite a while.

“We crawled about 10 metres under the concrete slab and at the end there was a drop.

“When we lifted a concrete panel on the other side of the road we could see the base of the pit, it was a five to six metre drop where the dog had fallen down,” deputy captain Lavender said.

“We could see the pup in the storm water drain, he was quite a way in. We managed to get to him and wrapped him in a blanket and put him in a basket and were able to pull him up and carry him to the surface.

“All the time we were keeping the gentleman informed of our progress. It was a nice job to do, really nice with a great result,” he said.

Kasha the four-year-old beagle hurt his leg during the ordeal, but was taken to the vet and is on the mend now.

Mr LoSchiavo is full of thanks to everyone who helped him and were concerned for his welfare.

“As a visitor to Bombala I will never forget the kindness the community gave to a stranger and a beloved family pet,” he said.