What looked like a small hole in a vacant Dallas lot turned into a rescue for a nearly 200-pound bullmastiff trapped in a defunct septic tank.
Dallas-Fire Rescue was called after 7-year-old Violet fell in while walking in the vacant lot next to her owner’s home. Her hind legs got caught in a 12-inch hole, causing her whole body to slide in.
When first responders arrived, there were no visible signs of a dog in distress until they looked into the small hole.
“Even I was shocked walking up to this little hole, and inside you saw the giant head of a dog in it,” Charlie Abney, battalion chief with the Dallas Police Department, said. “It was definitely the biggest dog I’ve ever seen, she looked almost like a very large hog.”
After Violet’s owners told firefighters she would not be aggressive, crews started digging around the hole to make it bigger. They needed enough room for a firefighter to go down and try to lift her out.
By then, there was about 30 centimetres of water inside the hole, and Violet was exhausted, which made lifting her out impossible.
Abney then called one of Dallas Fire’s technical rescue stations, which came to the scene with additional equipment.
“It was really nothing for them; they were very well versed,” Abney said.
With about six or seven people, firefighters got straps under Violet’s front and hind legs and hoisted her high enough to pop out of the hole.
“When she jumped out, it was a very happy moment for the dog and the homeowners and they went back to normal life,” Abney said.
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