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Sep 10, 2009
Aussie dog rescued from cave
SYDNEY - A DEAF dog known as Scooby was rescued after five days trapped in an Australian cave following a major rescue operation on Thursday.
Emergency crews bored through solid rock to reach the eight-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, who was quickly reunited with his relieved 12-year-old owner, Jack Newton.
'It's just unbelievable. All the guys at the RSPCA rescue have been phenomenal,' Newton's mother Melissa told the Nine Network.
'It's amazing, we're so happy... our little dog is home with us and my son is over the moon.'
Scooby scampered into the cave, in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, on Sunday and could be heard whimpering behind a six-metre slab of rock.
Fire brigade and RSPCA rescue teams used state-of-the-art cameras to pinpoint his position and laid a trail of snacks for him to follow to freedom, but the distressed dog refused to take the bait.
They then chipped away at the rock to get within a metre of Scooby, pushing food and water through gaps, before a mine rescue team used compressed air bags to gently lever boulders out of the way.
Scooby eventually emerged at about 6:00 pm (0800 GMT) to be greeted by a crowd of journalists and TV cameras which had beamed live updates across the nation.
RSPCA state chief executive Steve Coleman refused to comment on the cost of the operation but said the animal welfare agency was obliged to come to Scooby's rescue.
'It's certainly a time-consuming rescue but, again, I don't think that the public would expect us just to walk away because it's all too hard,' he said. -- AFP
Sep 10, 2009
Aussie dog rescued from cave
SYDNEY - A DEAF dog known as Scooby was rescued after five days trapped in an Australian cave following a major rescue operation on Thursday.
Emergency crews bored through solid rock to reach the eight-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, who was quickly reunited with his relieved 12-year-old owner, Jack Newton.
'It's just unbelievable. All the guys at the RSPCA rescue have been phenomenal,' Newton's mother Melissa told the Nine Network.
'It's amazing, we're so happy... our little dog is home with us and my son is over the moon.'
Scooby scampered into the cave, in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, on Sunday and could be heard whimpering behind a six-metre slab of rock.
Fire brigade and RSPCA rescue teams used state-of-the-art cameras to pinpoint his position and laid a trail of snacks for him to follow to freedom, but the distressed dog refused to take the bait.
They then chipped away at the rock to get within a metre of Scooby, pushing food and water through gaps, before a mine rescue team used compressed air bags to gently lever boulders out of the way.
Scooby eventually emerged at about 6:00 pm (0800 GMT) to be greeted by a crowd of journalists and TV cameras which had beamed live updates across the nation.
RSPCA state chief executive Steve Coleman refused to comment on the cost of the operation but said the animal welfare agency was obliged to come to Scooby's rescue.
'It's certainly a time-consuming rescue but, again, I don't think that the public would expect us just to walk away because it's all too hard,' he said. -- AFP
