'Living miracle' dog rescued after cavers find her trapped 15 metres underground
A dog has been rescued from a cave in the US state of Virginia after a group of explorers stumbled across her trapped 15 metres underground.
Shortly after the first person in the group entered the funnel-shaped cavern, they shouted up to say they had found a shivering dog.
Caver Jesse Rochette, who was on the surface, recalled the moment she was found.
“He said, ‘Whoa! There’s a dog down here!’" Mr Rochette described. "And I asked if it was alive, and he said ‘Yes!'”
Mr Rochette then climbed down into the cave with a piece of salami, and gave it to the dog.
“She instantly came over and sucked up the salami and she loved that,” he said.
They wrapped her up in blankets, foam pads and a hood from an old jacket they found in the cave.
The group managed to get her to drink water, first by getting her to lick water off their fingers, then guiding her to drink from the bowl.
Fellow caver Dave Jackson had participated in rescues before - but never to save an animal.
“We all carry a little rescue gear with us,” he said.
They improvised a dog harness from a tarpaulin and webbing, strapping the dog to Mr Rochette and eventually hauling her out three hours later.
He said once the pair made it out of the cave, the dog immediately perked up and started sniffing the air.
She was then taken to a vet, and is now being fed lots of treats as she recovers in an animal shelter.
Mr Rochette described the cave as littered in animal bones, and said: “It felt nice that the cave didn’t get to keep another one."
The group have named her Sparsy, derived from the acronym SPAR-C - referring to small party assisted rescue, with a C added for canine.
Giles County Animal Shelter described Sparsy as a "living miracle" in a post of Facebook, marvelling at the fact she has no broken bones.
They are still trying to find her owner, but said she is healing well, and will soon be ready for a new home if needed.
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