It took them a minute to realize.
Every day, experienced volunteers at Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue in the United Kingdom respond to emergency calls from people worried about animals in the area. Recently, rescuers started receiving numerous messages about a dog who’d been spotted lying face down in a mossy ditch nearby.
In no time, a group of water rescue volunteers were on their way.
The speedy team got to the ditch in 20 minutes. But when they arrived, rescuers realized things were not as they seemed.
It turns out, this dog didn’t need rescuing — because it wasn’t a dog at all.
“It was a statue!” the rescue wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “A statue that had already been rescued by an onsite member of staff!”
Rescuers didn’t mind having raced over for a fake dog. According to a Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue representative, the animal advocates appreciated the callers’ concern. They were ultimately glad that the emergency turned out to be a happy accident.
“It’s always a relief when there isn’t an injured animal to tend to,” the representative told The Dodo.
If anything, the fake dog’s “rescue” proves just how dedicated these volunteers are to helping animals in need. Clearly, the next time a real pup needs saving, they’ll be in great hands.
