"Miraculous rescue": Renter saves stray dog trapped underground
An American renter was minding his own business at his rental home in Longview, Texas when he heard faint barking.
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, initially thought the barking was coming from outside, but soon realised that it was coming from below his floorboards.
Animal control officer Bobby Jumper was called to the scene and "was very shocked" to find a dog trapped at the bottom of an almost four-metre-deep well underneath the house.
The renter did not know there was a well under the house.
"I've been doing this for over seven years and that's the first time I've ran into something like this," the animal control officer told the Washington Post.
Jumper immediately called in back up from the local fire brigade, who built a makeshift sling to pull the stray dog out from safety.
"It took multiple people and a lot of different tools and equipment," he said.
The rescue took three hours and the team did consider ripping up the floorboards, but managed to find a way into the house without damaging it.
Rescuers said the stray pup, a Basset hound mix, had been trapped for days without food or water, but luckily came out unscathed.
The pup was taken to the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Centre and given the name Timmy, after the character known to fall down the well on the TV show Lassie.
Timmy has since been adopted by a loving family, with the adoption centre sharing the "rescue story of a lifetime" on Facebook.
"We witnessed a heartwarming tale of bravery and kindness that we just had to share," they wrote.
"Thanks to the quick thinking and heroic efforts of our local firefighters and animal control team, the dog was safely brought to the surface, shaken but unharmed!"
"Thank you to everyone who played a part in this miraculous rescue," the post continued.
"It's a true reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals and how a community comes together in times of need!"
Images: Facebook