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Video shows elderly 17-year-old Shih Tzu rescued from air vent in Virginia home: Watch

Saman Shafiq
USA TODAY
A 17-year-old Shih Tzu, Maya, was rescued from an HVAC air vent in Fairfax County, Virgina.

A 17-year-old Shih Tzu was rescued from an HVAC air vent in Virgina, the Fairfax County Police Department said.

Video footage from the incident posted on Saturday shows crews from the FCPD and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department work together to save Maya, the Shih Tzu, who had gotten stuck in the vent. The crew tried various ways to retrieve the pet and had to eventually drill open the basement roof to get Maya out.

The dog was safely returned to the owner after it was rescued, said the FCFRD, in an update on X.

Authorities did not specify how Maya ended up in the vent or how long she was in there.

Watch video of the rescue