BACLIFF — It’s a happy ending for seven puppies and their mother, who were abandoned and then rescued after an ordeal that lasted several days.

All but two of the puppies have been adopted.

Ken Erickson was cleaning some vacant property he owns in Bacliff on Dec. 14 when he spotted the litter moving around in an empty field north of the intersection of state highways 646 and 146.

“The mother was just completely emaciated,” he said.

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Dr. Frances Boutin, of Seabrook, holds a litter of puppies abandoned in Bacliff. All but two of the puppies have been adopted since they were rescued.

He went to a convenience store and returned to the field with several cans of food, which the puppies devoured in minutes.

It turned cold and started raining, so Erickson began moving the dogs to a nearby building.

They were difficult to find in the rain and tall grass, but Erickson managed to find all of them, except for one. He knew it was missing because he had seen it earlier: a tiny black fur ball among siblings that were all brown.

Neighbors pitched in on the search, which lasted for hours. Even Erickson’s own two dogs helped.

But the search was fruitless, and at the end of the day, they gave up.

Erickson returned Sunday morning and immediately heard cries.

“You really could not see her,” Erickson said. “You could only hear her.”

He realized the puppy must be stuck inside a 15-inch drainpipe.

Erickson called Galveston County dispatchers for help. Bacliff firefighters soon arrived, and Charlie Stansel, a nearby carpenter, came running with shovels, a mirror and a flashlight.

They dug three holes up to a foot deep and cut into the rubber pipe three times before they pulled out a shivering, soaked, hungry Labrador mix that weighed 2 or 3 pounds. It had been stuck about 15 feet from the pipe’s opening.

“It’s a wonder she survived down in that black hole,” Stansel said. “The water was cold down in there.”

Erickson said he believes the puppy was stuck for at least 24 hours.

James Westinghouse, chief of Bacliff’s volunteer fire department, said he wants to see people take better care of drainpipes and put caps on them. He said it wasn’t clear whether it belonged to the county or a private owner.

About a dozen people, including Galveston County deputies and medical personnel, helped retrieve the puppy, which has since been adopted.

There are two puppies remaining. Erickson said people interested in adopting them can call him at 281-660-9000.

Stansel said the “momma dog is looking better, too.”

“I go by there in the mornings and make sure they’re OK.”