Recently, a pup named Rip was playing catch with his family in the backyard when something completely unexpected happened. As Rip raced to catch a toy ball, the ground underneath him opened up into a hidden sinkhole, plunging the 60-pound husky mix 10 feet below the surface.
Rip’s parents quickly called 911. Soon, a team of firefighters from Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue arrived at the scene, ready to help.
“There was some relief that Rip appeared uninjured and was just sitting comfortably in the bottom of the hole looking up,” a representative from the fire station told The Dodo. “This gave the rescuers some time to come up with a good and safe plan to get him out of the hole.”
As rescuers formulated a plan, Rip patiently waited, occasionally letting out a bark or whimper. Rip seemed to understand that the firefighters were there to help.
“Rip was very gentle and nice towards the responders,” the representative said. “Throughout the rescue, the crews would lower down an air monitor into the hole to make sure that the atmosphere was good.”
Firefighters placed ladders around the hole to provide a steady platform to work on. Then, they secured themselves with ropes and began trying to grab Rip with webbing material. When that didn’t work, rescuers placed a ladder in the hole and carefully lowered a team member down. This team member wrapped Rip in his arms and hoisted him up to the eager rescuers and family members waiting up above.
“Rip was very happy to be free from the hole,” the representative said. “He was a little shaken and had some tremors, but was very affectionate to the rescuers and also his owners once they were reunited.”
Rescuers are thrilled that Rip’s rescue went so smoothly and that the pup is now safe with his grateful family.
“These types of incidents are complex in nature, especially given the hazard to not only any victims, but also the rescuers themselves,” Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue wrote in a Facebook post. “All crews did an outstanding job working together to make this a safe and successful operation.”
