Animal control supervisor removes pit bull dog from a citrus smudge pot chimney

Redlands, CA -- REDLANDS An animal control worker rescued a pit bull from possible starvation Tuesday after the dog got its head stuck in a smudge pot.

The dog was found in an orange grove off San Timoteo Canyon Road Tuesday morning by a grove worker.

When Redlands Animal Control Supervisor Gayle Lipes arrived she saw that the dog had its head stuck in an abandoned smudge pot.

The oil-burning pots are frequently found in orange groves and used to be lit on cold nights to prevent frost damage to citrus trees. The pots are made of metal and have wide bases that narrow into chimneys.

Lipes believes the dog chased a squirrel into the smudge pot and that it may have been stuck there for several days.