Stray Dog Trapped in Cave For Days Rescued By Spelunkers Who Found Her
A sweet senior dog is miraculously alive and safe thanks to a group of spelunkers who found her in a cave in Narrows near Pearisburg, Virginia. Jesse Rochette and his friends were planning on teaching a group about cave safety when one of the people found a dog 50 feet down in the cave.
“It just so happened that a group of professional cavers decided to venture down into this cave and explore. During their descent, they discovered a dog had fallen 50 FEET into the cave. She was there in total darkness- alone,” Giles County Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook.
None of the cavers had rescued an animal before and the equipment they had with them was meant for a human. But they set to work to save her. Giles County Animal Shelter wrote, “Some call it fate, some call it luck, but this was nothing short of a miracle. Over the course of 3 HOURS, the cavers above worked to safely bring her back to the surface, while Jesse Rochette stayed in the darkness. He spent this time gaining her trust so he could strap her to his chest and begin their ascension together.”
Jesse told news channels that the dog had an injured eye and leg but when he touched her she leaned right into him. She looked starved and like she had been down there for days. The group named her Sparsy after SPAR-C; Small Party Assisted Rescue- Canine.
Once they reached the surface, she perked up with relief before being rushed to Virginia Tech’s Vet School. “After numerous tests and x-rays, miraculously she had NO BROKEN BONES‼️‼️‼️ She has Lyme Disease, some inflammation in her spine, and cannot use her back legs too well without assistance. With a good dose of pain medication, antibiotics, rest and good nutrition, we expect her to be up and moving in a couple days,” the shelter wrote.
Sparsy arrived at the shelter for her recovery and to see if her owners might be located. (One person on social media thinks she might have seen the dog bolting during 4th of July fireworks, but it does not appear an owner has stepped forward despite the media attention.)
Jesse came by and visited Sparsy later to see how she was doing. And she gave him a grateful kiss.
A day later, Sparsy surprised the shelter staff by standing up and wagging her tail. “We walked into the kennels this morning to yet another MIRACLE! Sparsy is UP AND MOVING…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.”
Sparsy is continuing to heal and walking around and will be put up for adoption soon. To find out more about her and other pets available at Giles County Animal Shelter visit their Facebook page. They would be grateful for any support as their shelter is currently full.
