Chicago’s new safe digging “ambassadog” is Questa, a pandemic pup who moved here to get adopted and chase rabbits

Questa
Questa

Chicago’s new safe digging “ambassadog” is Questa, a pandemic pup who moved here to get adopted and chase rabbits

Peoples Gas has unveiled Questa — a hound dog who moved to Chicago from Oklahoma — as the company’s new safe digging “ambassadog.” Questa’s new job title was announced this morning at Lincoln Park Zoo, where the pup proudly stood before cameras.

Questa is three years old and has a heartwarming backstory.
She moved to Chicago from Oklahoma after a family in the Andersonville neighborhood agreed to foster her during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questa was very sick at the time with heartworm, ringworm and hookworm. The family nursed her back to health and adopted her. Then they discovered her passion for digging.

Questa uses her fast, strong paws and master sniffing skills to dig for rabbits in her backyard. She digs a hole, sticks her entire head inside, makes weird loud noises, and loves playing chase with the rabbits once she finds them. She even digs in deep snow!

Questa became the safe digging ambassadog after entering
the Peoples Gas Doggone it! contest, in which customers send
in photos of their dogs digging. The public voted online to decide which pupper won — and was impressed by Questa’s adorable face and fierce digging style. For the next year, Questa will be featured in Peoples Gas promotional campaigns to raise awareness about safe digging.

About 811 Day and safe digging

Questa’s big win was announced on national 811 Day,
which is held every year on Aug. 11 (8/11). It’s a day to elevate
awareness about the need for people to call 811 two days
before starting any outdoor digging project. Digging without
knowing where utility lines (natural gas, electric, water, sewer,
communications) are can lead to line strikes, serious injury,
and property damage. When Chicagoans in the city and
suburbs call 811 at least 48 hours in advance, expert technicians
will come to their properties, at no charge, and mark the
spots where underground utility lines are located. The idea is
simple: Know what’s below. Calling 811 before digging also is
required by law.
     In addition to the announcement of the safe digging ambassadog,
today’s 811 event featured demonstrations of how
experts locate and mark buried utility lines after people call
811.
     Peoples Gas has approximately 4,000 miles of underground
pipelines for the distribution and transportation of natural gas in the city of Chicago. Natural gas, electric and other utility lines are buried underneath property throughout the city and could be in striking distance of anyone digging into the ground. Visit 811 Chicago for more information about 811 and safe digging practices. Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 878,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of Chicago. You can find more information about natural gas safety, energy efficiency and other energy-related topics at peoplesgasdelivery. com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @
peoplegaschi.

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