Dog trapped underground on Dartmoor

A dog called Jess has been rescued after getting trapped underground in an old mine or quarry spoil heap. 

Devon Cave Rescue Organisation were called to the scene by Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Ashburton and Bovey Tracey Fire Station as they attempted to rescue Jess, a dog who had become trapped underground at Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday evening. 

A spokesperson for Devon Cave Rescue posted on their social media to tell the story of the "beautiful dog" Jess and her dramatic rescue. 

Jess had been walking with her owner when she "decided she would give caving a crack" and went exploring into a large granite spoil heap, described as "a large pile of huge granite boulders that are precariously balanced on top of each other" and managed to get herself through "very narrow voids" and into a "small chamber". 

Her owner couldn't call her out and was worried there had been a collapse under the pile, so called for help. 

When the situation was assessed, the decision was made to call Devon Cave Rescue Organisation to make use of their "specialist skills and knowledge", and once they were on scene they got to work helping Jess. 

The spokesperson said: "The team got to work locating Jess within the boulder ruckle helped by her dad who had already begun moving some rubble, which is where the team focused their efforts.

"We very carefully and slowly removed rubble and boulders, all the time monitoring for movement to avoid collapse into the voids that Jess was trapped, to avoid any harm to Jess or team members working in the area. After a couple of hours of careful teamwork we were able to access the void and release Jess from her ordeal into the care of a vet on the Ashburton team."

Jess "appears well" after her terrifying ordeal the team have made sure that there is no chance of a similar situation occurring as they back-filled the voids to prevent further accidents in the future. 

The spokesperson added: "Tonight's effort was a fantastic example of joint multi agency working amongst several services. It was also an opportunity for other teams to view our teams skills, as our work is normally done underground and out of sight.

"We wish Jess a speedy and full recovery after her ordeal."

If you would like to donate to the team, which is made up completely of volunteers, you can CLICK HERE. To find out more about the team, visit: www.devcro.org.uk

ALL PHOTOS CREDIT DEVON CAVE RESCUE ORGANISATION