I had heard of this happening once before and never thought that I'd hear of it happening again.  But it did.

If you're a dog owner, then this is something that you definitely want to pay attention to.  If you don't then you, your dog, and god knows who else, may wind up having a very crappy day.

A family member once told me that one day while he was having the septic tank cleaned by a local company, that the family dog ended up falling into it. It made for some very anxious moments as everyone scurried to reach down into the still mostly filled tank and pull the animal back up through the hole and up onto the ground.

Needless to say the area inside a septic tank is not fit for man nor beast.

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Now ask me if I ever thought that I'd hear of this happening again.  Well, it did recently.

Cops in Bedford, New Hampshire, were called earlier this week to a private home when the owner's curious dog made it's way past the honey wagon and fell down into a 500 gallon septic tank.

The owners flipped out and called the local police department for help.  By the time an officer and another from Animal Control got there the 85 lbs. German Shepard was six feet below the surface and had to be pulled out to safety by using a catch pole.

Of course everyone involved including the dog were in need of a nice hot shower.  Maybe two.

So the moral of this story is, when it comes time to have the septic tank cleaned pay attention to your dog, and your kids for that matter as well.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

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