Colorado cavers are calling their rescue "miraculous" after saving a dog trapped 40 feet underground. Over the weekend of July 5, 2024, Dave Jackson and Jesse Rochette, who are experienced cavers from cave simulator company CaveSim, were exploring the Giant Caverns in Giles County, Virginia, with a handful of other cavers.
Upon entering an area of the cave, the cavers stumbled upon a dog wandering the cave alone — and they sprang into action.
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"[The first member of our group that rappelled down] said, 'Whoa! There’s a dog down here!'" Jesse told the Associated Press. "And I asked if it was alive, and he said, 'Yes!'"
He went down next with a piece of salami, which "instantly" drew the dog over, who "sucked" it up. They also gave the dog some water as well as space blankets to help warm up the shivering dog.
The dog, who they nicknamed Sparsy, had sustained injuries to her eye and leg. Using the gear they already had, the devised a plan to get the dog out of the cave.
"All of us have cave rescue experience. So we say, 'We’re gonna get this dog out of this cave,'" Dave said. They created a dog harness from a tarp, and then used a hauling system to rappel the dog out of the cave, which took three hours.
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"I laid her down onto the ground, and the moment that she touched the ground, the tongue came out," Jesse said. "It was a very clear excitement that she knew she was out of that situation."
They then took the dog to a veterinary hospital. "She takes her medicine like a champ and eats like there’s no tomorrow. Her medical expenses have been covered thanks to our amazing community," Giles County Animal Shelter posted on social media. "We still haven’t found her owner. If her healing keeps progressing this quickly, she’ll be ready for a new home in no time!"
