Far beneath the traffic rushing along California’s I-5 freeway, two small poodles had made a storm drain their home.

For weeks, the bonded dogs survived inside the dark tunnel, surrounded by dirty water and debris while highway noise thundered overhead. Their once-white coats had become gray and heavily matted, and life away from regular human contact had made them deeply suspicious of strangers. A local family occasionally dropped food through a street grate, helping the pair survive, but getting them out required a much more difficult rescue.

When Hope For Paws learned about the dogs, rescuers Eldad Hagar and Vanessa Enriquez went to the freeway to find them.

Simply waiting at an opening was not enough. The dogs could retreat farther into the drainage system if they panicked, so the team first secured one side of the tunnel. They then drove to the opposite end and crawled inside with flashlights and rescue equipment.

The passage was narrow enough that much of the approach had to be made on hands and knees.

Eventually, two small shapes appeared in the darkness.

One Dog Tried to Protect the Other

The poodles pressed themselves against the wall as the rescuers moved closer.

They were frightened and initially growled, unsure whether the people approaching them represented another threat. Then Pepsi, the male, moved in front of Cola and positioned his body over hers, apparently trying to shield her from whatever might happen next.

The rescuers did not rush them.

Eldad began offering pieces of food, giving the dogs a reason to approach without forcing physical contact. Hunger gradually worked against fear. Pepsi accepted food first, and as his tension eased, the rescuers were able to move closer.

Vanessa secured Pepsi and held him against her while Eldad continued working patiently with Cola. She remained more anxious, but gentle handling and time eventually allowed the team to secure her as well.

Now came another challenge: getting everyone back out.

With the dogs held safely against them, the rescuers crawled through the same confined tunnel toward daylight. After weeks of surviving beneath the freeway, Cola and Pepsi finally emerged from the drain in human arms.

They were frightened, filthy, and exhausted, but they were out.

Beneath the Matted Coats Were Two Different Dogs

Once the pair reached safety, attention turned to the condition of their fur.

Their coats were so badly tangled that ordinary brushing was no longer practical. Thick mats covered their bodies, trapping the grime accumulated during their time underground.

The dogs were carefully shaved, freeing them from the heavy fur, and then given warm baths. As the dirt disappeared, the two small poodles became almost unrecognizable compared with the nervous gray figures first spotted against the sewer wall. It was during their rescue and recovery that they were given the names Cola and Pepsi.

Their behavior changed too.

The dogs who had initially recoiled from human contact soon began accepting affection. Once cleaned and safe, their gentler personalities became easier to see.

Then they received a special visit.

The family who had been feeding them through the grate while they lived underground came to see them after the rescue. This time there was no concrete barrier between them. Cola and Pepsi greeted the people who had helped keep them fed with wagging tails and affection.

Their next step was finding a permanent home.

After recovering, Cola and Pepsi went into foster care and were placed through Maltese Rescue California while waiting for adoption. Because they had depended so heavily on each other during their time beneath the freeway, the goal was to place them together rather than separate the pair.

Their rescue was not defined by one dramatic moment. It took people noticing them, a family keeping them fed, rescuers willing to crawl into a dangerous confined space, and enough patience to convince two frightened dogs that approaching a human could finally mean safety.

For weeks, Cola and Pepsi had faced the darkness side by side.

When they finally left it, they did that together too.