Dog Stuck For Days in Underground Well Is Saved After Man Hears Barking Through His Floorboards

Sometimes, Lassie needs rescuing. 

A renter in Longview, Texas, became a stray dog’s hero after he heard the stuck pup’s distant barks through his floorboards and called the authorities for help.

“He realized it wasn’t coming from outside; it was actually coming from below,” Jenna George, executive director for the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center, told The Washington Post. 

On Feb. 24, animal control officer Bobby Jumper arrived at the man’s rented home to investigate the faint barking. After inspecting the area, Jumper discovered the sounds came from a dog trapped in a 12-foot-deep well underneath the house.

The man who lived there, who opted not to be identified, told The Washington Post he didn’t know the well was even there. 

“I was very shocked,” Jumper said. “I’ve been doing this for over seven years, and that’s the first time I’ve ran into something like this.”

When Jumper located the dog staring up from the eerie, rock-paved pit, the canine stopped barking and started wagging his tail. 

“He was about as happy as could be to see me,” Jumper said.

Jumper called in backup to help him retrieve the dog from his underground spot, including reinforcements from the Longview Fire Department. The team crafted “makeshift slings” to help lift the trapped animal out of the well in the tight spot.

“It took multiple people and a lot of different tools and equipment,” Jumper said. 

The rescue process took three hours. At one point, when extraction seemed impossible, the rescuers contemplated ripping up the home’s floorboards to reach the dog. Thankfully, the team found a way to save the dog from the well without damaging the house. 

“The dog just came straight up, unscathed from the lift,” Jumper said. “It was an amazing feeling to get the dog out.”

The rescuers fed the dog and got him water first thing after the successful save. The stray pup quickly licked each bowl clean. The authorities believe the canine had been trapped for days without food or water.

Though the dog appeared taller in the well, the firemen laughed when they finally got near the 53-pound dog up close, noting that he was a short and stocky Basset hound mix. 

After his rescue, the dog went to a local vet who noted that the pup had an inflamed ear and some cuts, but he was otherwise unharmed, per The Washington Post. The vet predicted the dog’s age to be around 2. 

Shelter executive director George said the hole was closed to prevent future accidents. She added that neither the renter nor local rescuers recognized the dog, who was not microchipped and didn’t have identification tags. After going door-to-door with the pet and failing to locate a potential owner, the rescuers determined that the dog was a stray and placed him for adoption. 

The team that rescued the dog named him Timmy after the little boy who often fell down the well on the TV show Lassie. 

“He became a favorite among staff,” said George. “He’s very sweet, very good, just wants loving and pets.”

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While a firefighter initially expressed interest in adopting Timmy, Timmy wasn’t interested in the firefighter’s cats. Eventually, after seeing a Facebook post about the pooch, someone contacted the shelter and offered to adopt the lucky dog. 

“He’s such a love bug,” George said of Timmy, who was adopted on Feb. 27. “We’re definitely glad we had a happy outcome.”

The Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center posted about the rare experience on Facebook, noting, “Thank you to everyone who played a part in this miraculous rescue. It’s a true reminder of the incredible bond between humans and animals and how a community comes together in times of need!”

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