A North Carolina family’s Great Dane puppy plunged 50 feet into an old well in the woods Saturday but emerged miraculously unscathed after firefighters rescued her.
The 11-month-old pup named Mudge was running in the woods near her family’s Wake County home when she fell into the dried-up well, which was covered with barbed wire and a layer of leaves, owner Janine Haldene told WRAL News.
Mudge and her sister Moonshine often run along the trails the family created around their property and “they always come back,” Haldene said.
But Haldene’s young son Henry felt something was wrong Saturday afternoon when Mudge didn’t return home, according to the local station.
As the family searched the property, they could hear Mudge barking from inside the deep well and quickly called 911.
Firefighters from three different departments, the Cary, Fairview and Swift Creek fire departments, responded to the scene and used special equipment to lift the dog out of the hole.
A veterinarian was also on hand to provide any necessary medical treatment, according to the Cary Fire Department.
It took the crew hours to get the 110-pound pooch out via a harness and rope attached to a metal tripod. One firefighter was even lowered into the well to attach Midge to the rope, WRAL reported.
“To have her come out and … lick the guy’s face that pulled her out of the hole, like, wow. It was really special,” Haldane told the station.
“They did all of this for my dog, and she is part of our family, truly, so God bless them,” she added.
Midge shockingly did not suffer any broken bones from her tumble. She emerged with just a small scratch on her ankle, according to the outlet.
Haldane said she couldn’t believe her dog came out largely unscathed, noting the well’s depth is “quite the drop.”
She said the family ensured the old well is now completely covered over and safe.
“Part of me kind of wonders, you know, did she fall to save someone else?” Haldane said.