You hear about bonded animals, but one dog’s devotion went beyond the norm when he dragged searchers to the area where his gal pal had been trapped underground for 36 hours.
Doodle went missing on August 14 after getting out of her yard in Norwich, England. Her human, Delia Robinson, was distraught when she couldn’t find her. With the help of friends and family, she searched the woods behind her house, but Doodle wasn’t there.
Delia contacted the RSPCA for assistance, but it wasn’t until the next day that she sought the help of Doodle’s best friend and father to their five puppies. Patterdale terrier Bear was escorted to the wooded area, where it only took moments for him to sniff her out.
Bear dragged Delia to the spot where he knew Doodle was, but she couldn’t see her. She had gotten trapped in a rabbit hole. (Must have been some big rabbits!) Delia put her ear to the ground, and though it was faint, could make out the frightened dog’s whimpering below.
“Well I thought it was her, but it was so faint,” Delia said. “Doodle could hardly bark because she had lost her voice, but I was over the moon to hear it.
“She was so deep down I thought, ‘how am I going to get her out, I’m going to need more than a spade – I’ll need a mechanical digger or something.'”
She and her husband, David, fetched their shovels and dug for 30 straight minutes until Doodle was unearthed.
Though she was exhausted and likely a bit dehydrated, Doodle was otherwise fine. Bear was just as excited to see her as her owners.
“Doodle is recovering well from her ordeal, although her voice is still suffering from all the barking she did down there,” Delia said.
“We’re just so glad to get her home in one piece – thanks to Bear. He’s a true hero. Doodle would have died if he hadn’t found her because I don’t think we would have been able to.”
Delia and her husband bought Bear a giant steak as a thank you for saving their girl.
