Photos courtesy of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services
Curiosity killed the cat, but it only got Rebel, an 8-month old pooch from Desert Hot Springs, California, lodged in a wall.
The dog’s owner wasn’t at home at the time of the incident, but a woman staying at the owner’s home was. She heard Rebel whimpering and crying at length, discovered that he had lodged himself in a cement wall 18 inches thick and then phoned the police.
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“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow, how’d he get in there?’” Riverside County Animal Services Sergeant James Huffman said in a statement from the agency. “And why is there a hole that big in the wall?”
Sgt. Huffman and a fellow officer determined that the canine was breathing properly, and wasn’t in any immediate danger. After inspecting the surrounding bricks they realized they could dislodge his head without tearing down the wall or injuring him. One officer worked the dog’s head through the wall while the other pulled the dog’s body in the same direction. After 30 minutes of nudging, the dog could finally get back to retrieving sticks.
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“He let us know if we were pushing too hard – but he kept working right along with us,” Huffman said. “He helped a lot. You could see his hind legs stiffen to assist in the direction we were going. He knew we were there to save him.” (via the Los Angeles Times)