Sometimes our pets get themselves stuck in some pretty sticky situations. Thankfully, local police are always there to help an animal in need — even if it means braving some unpleasant muck and bad smells.

That was the case recently, when a California police officer climbed into a sewage drain to save a trapped puppy.

The story was shared by the Huron Police Department, who reported that three of their officers — Commander Fuentes, Sergeant Paul Lopez, and Officer Gonzalez — came to the rescue of a puppy who had fallen into a sewage drain.Braving some certainly unpleasant conditions, one of the officers covered his legs with plastic bags and jumped into the sewage drain to retrieve the trapped dog, according to KSEE/KGPE.

It was a dirty job, but thankfully the rescue mission was a success: the dog was saved and is expected to make a full recovery.

Photos show the poor pup completely covered in black sludge, but it soon got a much-needed bath and was looking like its normal self again.

The Huron Police Department commended their officers for going the extra mile to save this poor pup. “We’re proud to have such dedicated officers on our team, always ready to serve – even our four-legged community members. Great job, team!” they wrote on Facebook.

Thank you to these officers for saving this dog from the sewer! We can tell this wasn’t the most pleasant job, but it was worth it to get this pup out safe!

Please share this story if you love dogs! ❤️