A senior dog who was missing for two months was accidentally found in a 22-mile cave

Dog Time reports an unlikely survival and rescue of a senior dog that was accidentally found in a cave in Missouri, US. The animalcould have spent two months in difficult conditionssurviving on what it could hunt down.

'A feel-good story of survival'

Rick Haley was at a caving project in the Moore Cave system when he came across a stranded dog. It was unclear how the animal ended up in a cave. The location where the dog was found is around a staggering 22 miles long and is reported to be the 23rd longest cave in the US.

The animal was distressed and looked unhealthy.

Rick said:

The dog was not in good shape.

The cave has running water, along with fish and crustaceans inside, but with 'total darkness' in these tricky conditions, rescuers were left confused as to how the old dog was able to survive for so long.

The rescue

Rick and Gerry Keene, trained cave rescuers, managed to manoeuvre the pet out of the cave. They placed it in a duffel bag to protect both the animal and the rescuers, as it was expected to struggle. They then took it through a two-foot opening, followed by 500 feet over a 'tight, awkward, vertical climb'.

Rick used his experience to oversee the sump dive. It came in handy when one of the diver's equipment had an issue.

The team praised the dog for doing well during the complex mission.

Rick said in asocial media post:

She was totally cooperative.

In search of the owner

To find this incredible survivor dog’s home, rescuers went door-to-door in the local area. Imagine the relief of the owners who were sure they wouldn't see their beloved pet ever again! They said they hadn’t seen their dog Abby since June 9 and had assumed the dog was gone forever. Abby looked very pleased to finally return home to warmth and treats too.

Millions of pets go missing yearly. Not every family is as lucky as Abby’s. According to the American Humane Society, the numbers come up to 10 million in the US alone, with 23% never returned to their owners.

It is important to microchip your furry family members to minimise the risk. This simple and inexpensive procedure allows you to track your animal whenever it goes missing.

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