ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Man's best friend received a new leash on life thanks to an alert neighbor who called firefighters to help assist in a late-night rescue.
Orange County fire rescuer Steve Kibler told News 6 that neighbors began hearing a mysterious noise almost a week ago around the Lake Pickett area of Orange County.
As days progressed, the mystery started to sound more like a muffled whimper, and the neighbors eventually tracked it down to a large shed.
Kibler said firefighters were called to help with the rescue because the shed was tied down with cables.
It took two hours for first responders and witnesses to dig a tunnel that freed the dog.
Footage posted on Facebook showed the dog frantically crawling to rescuers with a caption saying that it was trapped for five days.
Kibler told News 6 that the dog was pinched in a position in which its head and front paws were over a hump of hard-packed dirt and it had no room to dig its way out.
After the dog was rescued, firefighters said it was returned to its owner, who had filed a missing dog report six days earlier.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Kibler congratulated his team for their hard work and noted that some calls are more rewarding than others.