Rescuer Races to Save Dog Buried Alive in the Sand

A stray dog was in deep trouble after being buried alive. But thanks to the heroic effort of a SPCA officer the dog was saved in time.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA in South Africa received a call from a concerned citizen who had seen a dog hiding under a concrete slab only to be cruelly buried alive by “an unidentifiable group of individuals” who covered the dog’s one exit with a mound of sand.

The dog was trapped inside with no way out!

Inspector Lee Prins immediately rushed over to the location with his shovel in hand. With every scoop of sand he worried more about the fate of the dog underneath.

“It was taking too long but I had to keep reminding myself that if I start to panic, I won’t be of any use to the dog that needs me now,” he later said in a press release from the animal welfare charity.

But finally his shovel broke through to an opening and he could see the dog underneath the sand and concrete.

Prins said he had a moment of panic again when he first saw the dog. He explained, “When I finally reached him, he was curled up in a ball and he didn’t move, I thought I was too late.”

But the dog was alive!

Prins took the dog to the SPCA’s hospital where he was immediately treated. “Courage”, as they named him, was emaciated and mangy but thankfully has tested negative for diseases.

Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse says that they are “very grateful to the compassionate person who called us, this dog would have suffered terribly had we not been notified.” Cape of Good Hope SPCA plans on conducting a thorough investigation to try and track down the people responsible for the “heartless act.”

In the meantime, Courage will recover at their shelter, no doubt relieved to be in the hands of his caring rescuers.

If you would like to donate towards Courage’s care, visit the Cape of Good Hope’s website.