A team of rescuers had to use specialized equipment that’s usually found in disaster sites to save a dog who had been trapped below the ground for 27 hours. A history buff played a role in the rescue as well.
Moppit, a black Patterdoodle, was chasing a rabbit from her home in Iwerne Minster, Dorset when she ended up at a water tunnel. This happened after she followed the critter down a dried-up stream.
The canine desperately tried to claw her way out. However, instead of escaping, Moppit ended up causing one part of the tunnel to cave in, thereby trapping her underground.
Eighteen hours later, Moppit’s owner Rachel Stormonth-Darling was searching the garden when she heard a soft whimpering coming from below the earth. She recognized the voice — her Patterdoodle was crying for help!
When the woman walked over to her neighbor Mark Greave’s property, she heard the noise even more clearly from a drain. Rachel then contacted the Dorset Fire & Rescue Service right way.
The team leader, Stuart Gillion, arrived at the location and found the fur mom clawing at the earth with her bare hands, ready to extract the pooch herself. The firefighters had to persuade her to let them be the ones to get Moppit out of the tunnel.
The rescuers determined that the Patterdoodle was located 15 feet below the ground. Gillion decided that they needed the help of experts, so they called in an urban rescue unit that hailed from Exeter, Devon.
Mark Greave gave the responders the green light to dig two pits in his garden. The first was used to get cameras underground so that the rescuers could determine the layout of the tunnel as well as pinpoint Moppit’s location.
A local history buff named Michael Orham was familiar with the underground tunnels, having lived in the village for more than three decades. He helped the team find the best spot in which to excavate. Moppit, meanwhile, also did her part by barking to aid the rescuers in finding her.
Next, the team dug a second hole through which one of their smaller members entered to retrieve Moppit from below the ground. Her fur was full of dirt, and she was extremely thirsty, but the pooch was otherwise unhurt.
Rachel will be eternally grateful to the firefighters and the urban search and rescue team for helping her get Moppit back. She adds that her pooch is fortunate to have come out of the incident, safe and alive.
Image credit: Daily Mail