An Indiana dog has a new lease on life after a group of cave divers discovered him at the bottom of a 30-foot pit while they were exploring caves in the Dewey Hickman Nature Preserve (via WLKY). The group rescued the dog and placed him in the care of Harrison County Animal Control.
“We believe the dog was eventually able to wiggle free and dropped to the bottom of the cave,” a Harrison County government spokesperson said. The emaciated, black-and-white dog likely survived by drinking rain water out of a turtle shell.
“Based on his condition, we believe he may have been in the cave for up to two weeks,” the spokesperson continued. “He is very thin, and his collar is very loose, leading us to believe he had been in the cave long enough to drop a significant amount of weight.”
Harris County Animal Control Helped ‘Dewey’ Recover
Harris County Animal Control named the dog “Dewey,” for the park in which rescuers found him. They placed the dog “on a 5 day stray hold” as they searched for his humans. They also posted a photo of him and his rescuers on their Facebook page.
“He is still a little lethargic right now after everything that has been going on,” April Breeden, Director of Harrison County Animal Control said.
“But when he first came in this morning, he was just so loving. He just wanted to be loved on and be petted. I took him into my office, and he immediately jumped up on the couch, and he’s been sleeping there ever since. He is amazing.”
Hawkeye Returns Home
Two days after finding the dog, Harrison County Animal Control announced that he would reunite with his family soon.
“We believe we have found Dewey’s owner,” they wrote. “His name is actually Hawkeye!! We will keep you all posted! We cannot thank the news media enough, without the news coverage we would not have been able to find the owner!!”
The pup got to greet a few of his rescuers before heading home. Shortly after, Hawkeye officially reunited with his family!
Hawkeye’s story reminds us all, as dog parents, to keep our pets safe from wandering into dangerous situations. DogTime has a full guide on curbing your dog’s habit of escaping, which may help prevent incidents like the one Hawkeye went through. You can find that guide by clicking here!
Has your dog ever been in a life-threatening situation like Hawkeye was? What would you do if you came across a dog in such a deep pit? Let us know in the comments!
