Danville Fire Department rescues missing dog

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Firefighters were able to rescue a woman's dog after digging her out for an hour.

Most older dogs wouldn't fare too well on their own for four days, but Trina was able to survive. "The weekend came and went and lots of tears were shed," said owner Janet Thorlton. "We put posters up."

She thinks the dog must've snuck outside after getting nervous about a windy night. Thorlton said when she woke up, Trina was nowhere to be found.

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"Easily a dozen people at different times were down in the ravine walking, and she just wasn't there," she said. Thorlton was grateful for how many friends and strangers came out to help find Trina. A neighbor then spotted her head sticking out of the ground right behind Trina's home. "There's the sinkhole and then it's washed out and forms a tunnel all the way down to the stream.," Thorlton said. "She had gotten stuck in the tunnel." She called 911 and Danville firefighters arrived to get the dog out. Eric High was one of the first responders on the scene. He said the department helps many animals every year, so much so, they even have specialized equipment just for pets.

However, he'd never seen anything quite like this.

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"She was hard of hearing and sight, so she was actually pretty scared when we started pulling on her," High said. Firefighters didn't pull too hard because of Trina's age, Thorlton said she was a rescued pet who's at least 15 years old. They also noticed she was stuck on some tree roots. So, on top of digging, they had to cut some wood to free Trina. "It was a little nerve-racking trying to make sure we didn't do more harm than good in that situation," High said. "But a little bit more time and effort into it and the dog came out perfectly fine, and relatively unscathed."

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Thorlton believes Trina may have been stuck in someone's garage for a few days before wandering back and doesn't believe her dog would've survived all four days in the hole. She said her dog got an infected, black eye that she's finishing up medication for, but she's just happy to have her back.

Thorlton said she was surprised to find so many online resources to help people find their missing dogs. "I had lots of love and support to get me through the challenging time, and it was much appreciated," she said.