Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dog-firefighter-well/

Taking your dogs outdoors is a fun experience, especially when you see them have the time of their lives. You’ll be smiling from watching them do zoomies and interacting with other dogs. However fun, danger still lurks around your fur baby. Accidents could happen at any moment, mainly in areas where they could easily get trapped. Individuals, rescue organizations, police departments, and firefighters have encountered such incidents a lot of times. Thankfully, they take quick action and save the animal even when the rescue operation would go on for hours. Most of the places they get trapped in are inside wells, abandoned buildings, trees, electric cables, manholes, or under rubbles of rock after an earthquake.

Sadly, the one who used to work on missions and save people’s lives can also be at the other end of the line. One of those cases was a 9-year-old German Shepherd, a retired K9 from Arizona police. Indy was adopted by a former service member after his retirement. It was supposed to be a regular outdoor day for the family, which they spent on Chula Vista. However, while playing with his sibling, Indy did not notice a well nearby. The nine-year-old German Shepherd fell into the hole, and his dad saw everything. Firefighters came to the scene where Indy was trapped in a 60-foot well.

It was indeed a challenging rescue operation, and the firefighters had to devise several methods to pull Indy out. “But because of the way the hole was, nothing was long enough to make it down. You couldn’t put any personnel down into that situation. You couldn’t put anybody down there. The ground was too unstable; there was no way to shore it up,” explained Ken Gilden of the San Diego Humane Society Emergency Response Team. The rescue operation lasted about four hours due to the risky situation at the bottom of the well. Indy’s human dad was so anxious and worried that he volunteered to go down himself. OSHA has regulations regarding such complications that do not permit the request.

Thankfully, the final method worked with the cooperation of the scared Indy. “And nothing was happening, and then right at the end, the dog lifted his head, and the firefighter who had the lasso was able to get it around his neck. And as soon as he did, they pulled it tight, and we just brought him right up,” Ken said. The German Shepherd got out of the well with some minor injuries, cuts, and bruises. Treatments had to be given to Indy several times before he could fully heal. Thankfully, he has a caring dad willing to drive him to the vet to ensure he recovers well. The rescue mission was indeed heartstopping, but the firefighters stayed true to their duty. Indy is now safely back home, healing, and will get to play outdoors again.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog