Dramatic rescue of treasured pet

FIRE crews from Retford were among those battling to save a dog which had become stuck in an underground drain for more than four hours.

The six year old cairn terrier had become stuck down the hole while on a walk with his owners Bob and Alyson Staszkiewicz last Friday afternoon.

The couple were out on the walk with their dog Hoagie along Wood Lane, Egmanton, when he ran down the hole chasing a small animal.

But after a few minutes when he didn't return, the couple feared the worst and went back to see what had happened.

And after more than an hour battling to get to their beloved pet, the couple were left with no choice but to contact the fire service for help.

Bob and Alyson of Tuxford Road, Egmanton, this week praised the work of the fire crews who helped rescue their treasured pet.

Alyson said they had been walking both Hoagie and his brother Frog when he decided to wonder off.

"He went down a ditch but we just carried on walking because he normally follows us," said Alyson .

"But he didn't follow and we went back to look for him."

"We went back to where we last saw him and saw a hole at the side of the ditch."

She added: "Two woodcutters came and said they could hear him. They went and fetched a shovel and started digging for about an hour and a half."

"They were a great help. The two woodcutters gave up a large part of their afternoon to help us out; they were digging non-stop for over an hour."

Alyson said she and her husband then called the fire service because they didn't know what else to do.

"The fireman started digging and the hole turned out to be an old drainage tunnel of some sort," said Alyson .

"They used a camera which they put down the hole and they could see Hoagie on the video screen and could also hear him yelping.

"He'd chased something down there and had got stuck."

The ditch was cold and wet and Alyson said she was also worried he had injured himself.

"He was about 12 feet down this tunnel and there was bricks and concrete slabs either side of him."

Fire crews had to erect a shelter above where they were working when it started raining, and used a specialist hydraulic excavator to reach the dog.

Alyson said a number of local people helped in the effort to save Hoagie, all of whom she wanted to thank.

She said: "Andrew Banks of Egmanton Plant Hire very generously waived any charges for the use of his digger and time and another person who deserves thanks is Mr Cupit, the farmer/landowner who came to the scene and did what he could to help the fire and rescue services."

She added: "It was a very anxious time and we had prepared ourselves for the worst, so we were very pleased when he was finally released," said Alison.

A cold and wet Hoagie was eventually released at around 5.30pm.

"The firemen were fantastic. Some people might think we were a bit stupid because it is only a dog, but he is very special to us and I couldn't bear the thought of him dying down there.

"It was very difficulty at the time but he is home and safe now."

The couple have already been back to the ditch but say this time they kept Hoagie firmly on his lead.