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Lured by pepperoni, dog rescued from 12-foot backyard sinkhole on Cape Cod
Tessa, the 11-year-old yellow Labrador was pulled back above ground with the assist of pepperoni, fire officials said.
Crews used pepperoni to lure an elderly yellow Labrador out of a large sinkhole on Cape Cod Tuesday after she was trapped for longer than two hours, first responders said.
Falmouth fire/rescue crews worked Tuesday afternoon to pull Tessa, an 11-year-old yellow lab, out of the hole in her family’s yard, the Falmouth Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
Fire officials suspect the sinkhole formed due to a leak in an underground pipe system which eventually washed away the soil underground, Acting Falmouth Fire and Rescue Deputy Sean Ellis told Boston.com.
The hole was 2 feet wide and 12 feet deep, with a cavern at the bottom, Ellis said.
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Falmouth Fire and Rescue stabilized the ground surface and determined that crews could not enter the hole because of a potential collapse, Ellis said.
“Originally we set up a haul system with ropes to get in and coax her into people movers,” Ellis said.
However, the lab kept pushing against the cavern walls, evading the gurney, Ellis said.
Eventually rescuers, with the help of pepperoni, were able to reach deeper into the hole and pull Tessa out using a pole leash, Ellis said.
Tessa resurfaced at around 5 p.m., uninjured, and even got to eat the rest of the pepperoni, the department wrote.
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“We are grateful that her owner called 911 immediately rather than attempting a dangerous solo rescue,” they said.
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