Photos: Firefighters Rescue Dog That Fell Down Narrow, 15-Feet-Deep Hole

By Amanda Thomason February 14, 2022 at 1:44pm

Dogs can get themselves into all sorts of tricky situations, but this pup in Florida appeared to be a hapless victim of a nearly invisible danger.

On Wednesday, Walton County Fire Rescue, in Florida’s Panhandle, learned that a dog had fallen down a hole and was trapped.

The rescue wasn’t as simple as helping the dog climb out or the owner jumping in and giving the pup a boost: This narrow hole was 15 feet deep and of unknown origin, making the situation a little trickier to maneuver.

South Walton Fire District (SWFD), Walton County Fire Rescue and Walton County Animal Control all arrived on the scene to help.

While the rescue teams readied their equipment, animal control assessed the dog. SWFD members also checked out the air in the hole when they arrived, to make sure it would be safe to send someone down to harness the pup.

“SWFD’s Squad 3 and District Chief 2 arrived on scene around 3 p.m., then assessed the air quality of the confined space with a gas monitor,” the SWFD posted on Facebook.

“Once the space was deemed safe to enter, firefighters placed a ladder into the hole and attached our rescuer to a safety line.

“The firefighter descended the ladder and made contact with the dog, who was very friendly, then used webbing to build the dog a safety harness.

“As you can see in the video below, the rescuer ascended the ladder with the dog in tow and the SWFD crew assisted in getting the pair through the small opening.”

The dog appeared unharmed and gave its rescuers a thankful wag of its tail as it was unharnessed back on the surface, as video posted by the SWFD shows.

Thankfully the owner was right there and ready to take the adventurous dog home — had this been a stray or loose dog, it might have taken days or longer to notice its predicament. Commenters on the SWFD post also pointed out that a child could have easily ended up in the same trouble.

As to the cause of the hole, SWFD couldn’t say exactly why it was there.

“[W]ith this being outside of our typical coverage area, we aren’t able to speak to the actual cause of the hole,” department wrote in a response to a viewer comment.

“Our crews who responded to the scene said the hole appeared to be part of a concrete drainage system or vault. We ask you direct any further questions to Walton County Public Works, thank you!”

Public works employees filled in the hole so that no further misadventures would take place.

The SWFD ended its post by thanking all involved: “We are very grateful to have been a part of this happy ending and appreciate the professional and quick work of all responding agencies.”

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