The owner of a dog trapped underground for three days has thanked the Aberdeen community for rallying to rescue him.
Dasha Samatoina was walking Cavapoo Bear when he disappeared near Seaton Park on Thursday,
The frantic 29-year-old feared the worst when there was no sign of him after a day and began to suspect her pet had been snatched.
But with no sightings, dog behaviour experts were convinced he was trapped underground and fire and rescue crews, drone pilots, drainage firms, and specialists with climbing gear were all drafted in to help.
Bear was finally located on Sunday evening – after nine-year-old dachshund Lola, who they had been walking with the night he vanished, led them to the hole he had gone down.
His emotional owner, who was only visiting the city for the weekend, said she was “hysterical and crying” after finding with her five-year-old pet, who she feared she would “never see again”.
Dachshund Lola finds Bear
After taking advice over the phone from an expert tracker, she said: “We were advised to let my friend’s dog guide us because their hearing is different to ours and she might hear him whining or barking. And that’s exactly what happened. She led us to one of the holes on a site we had not properly looked at and she was very persistent to go down the hole.
“I just started screaming at it. I was hysterical and crying. The thought of him being down there in the cold and dark terrified me.”
But advised to keep noise to a minimum, she gently called Bear’s name until he was finally freed.
She even put items of clothing down the hole so the animal could pick up her scent and find the exit.
Ms Samatoina, from London, said: “I think he was a few feet down because his [bark] was quite muffled. But I could feel he was digging under the ground – I was just hoping he was going the right way.”
The dog spent the night at Vets Now in Aberdeen where he was treated for sand in his eyes, scratches to his nose and given fluids as he was dehydrated after his near 60-hour ordeal.
‘Amazing community’ of Aberdeen
The lecturer had been visiting a friend in the city for the weekend when their dogs ran off around 9pm on Thursday.
It is thought the animals both ran down a rabbit or fox hole, but as Bear is much bigger than Lola, he got stuck and was unable to make his way back.
Fire crews were called but were unable to track the dog and his owner put an appeal out on social media for someone with a drainage inspection camera.
Within minutes hundreds of people and businesses were providing offers of help and support.
A drone with thermal imaging was also called in to help with the rescue, as well as climbing specialists, dog behaviour specialists and other concerned members of the public.
Ms Samatoina told The P&J: “It’s impossible to describe with words. After three days, we were really worried that he might not last, so obviously when he came out and he was fine, it was just very hard to believe what was happening.
“If it was not for the amazing community that live in Aberdeen, I would not have Bear right now with me, alive, safe and almost healthy.
“They didn’t let me give up, they were encouraging and supporting. They were extremely quick in responding to everything we were asking and everything was done in minutes.
“I can’t even express the gratitude I have for these people. It’s just amazing human beings that live here who are ready to go and help find a dog. The reason Bear was found is down to them, their encouragement, their love for dogs and their belief that everything is going to be fine.”
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