Dog barks for help after tumbling up to 30 feet down NC mineshaft. See daring rescue
A distressed dog spent the night stuck in an abandoned mineshaft after plummeting down about 30 feet, North Carolina officials said.
Rescuers were called to a home in Gold Hill to pull out a beagle mix that fell down an unmarked mineshaft at the back of the property, according to an Oct. 21 Facebook Live video from Gold Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Over the course of the nearly 30-minute video, viewers can hear the dog’s yips for help echoing from the dark pit in the ground.
At times, although hardly visible in the video, the dog attempted to jump out with no success — making the rescue essential to the dog’s survival.
Several organizations took part in the rescue aside from Gold Hill Volunteer Fire Department, such as Rowan County Rescue Squad, Salisbury Fire Department, Kannapolis Fire and Police, and Rockwell Rural, according to an Oct. 21 Facebook post from Rowan County Rescue Squad.
At the start of the video, rescuers suited up and planned their route to reach the dog. Rapelling into the mineshaft required certain certifications, a woman is heard saying in the video, so Rowan Rescue took charge of pulling the dog out.
After setting up their gear and conducting a safety check, Rowan rescuers made their descent down into the mineshaft, the post said.
In the last few minutes of the fire department’s video, viewers could see the dog standing on its hind legs waiting for the rescuer to pull it out.
The rescue turned out successful as responders brought the dog back up to the surface and returned it to its owners, Rowan County Rescue Squad said.
“Great teamwork today for all the rescuers involved. Thanks to all the departments that came out to help rescue this lucky dog,” Gold Hill Volunteer Fire Department said on Facebook.
Mineshafts opening up in parts of Gold Hill isn’t uncommon, the woman recording the fire department’s video said, considering there are “miles and miles” of shafts across the town. The town was considered a “gold mining boom town” in the 1840s, according to Historic Gold Hill’s website, which explains the large network of mineshafts found throughout the area.
Gold Hill is about 45 miles northeast of Charlotte.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Dog barks for help after tumbling up to 30 feet down NC mineshaft. See daring rescue."
