“Miracles do happen!”
Late last month, a curious dog named Rilee was exploring an abandoned mineshaft on her family’s property when she mistakenly wandered into a deep borehole. In the blink of an eye, Rilee fell 60 feet down into the earth, landing in a shallow pool of water at the bottom.
Panicked, Rilee’s family called authorities for help. Soon, firefighters from El Dorado County Fire Protection District were on their way. Arriving at the scene, rescuers couldn’t believe how far Rilee had fallen.
“Our firefighters have responded to dogs that have fallen down into open mine shafts before, but nothing this extensive or serious,” El Dorado County Fire Protection District captain Jacob Poganski told The Dodo.
The rescue team quickly came up with a plan. Using a rope system, firefighters slowly descended into the pit, eventually reaching the bottom, where they grabbed Rilee and brought her to safety.
“The dog was extremely anxious as the rescuer approached and then was calm and friendly when she realized there was someone there to help her,” Poganski said. “She cooperated calmly through the efforts to tie a harness to her and allow the rescuer to carry her out of the vertical shaft.”
Back above ground, Rilee was eager to show her gratitude.
“Once the dog emerged from the mine, she happily greeted all of the rescuers individually, as if to say, ‘Thank you!’” Poganski said.
Somehow, though she fell so far, Rilee was just fine, having only sustained a few minor injuries.
“Miracles do happen!” Rilee’s mom, Kimberlee Adams Norwood Mickelson, wrote in a Facebook post.
Watching Rilee reunite with her family, rescue team members couldn’t help but smile.
“We all love dogs and hate to see one in distress,” Poganski said. “We were extremely happy to have a great outcome for Rilee.”
