A roadway construction crew in England was startled last Thursday when something popped its head out of a rabbit hole — and it wasn’t a bunny. It was a small dog that looked like a Jack Russell terrier mix, reported BBC News. “We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the dog pop her head out of the ground,” Arthur Evans, site manager, stated in a press release.
Construction workers freed the dog and called the local dog warden, Craig Brown. When Brown arrived, he found the poor female pooch emaciated and severely dehydrated. “It appears that the dog, which is around one-year-old, chased a rabbit into a hole and then got stuck,” said Brown in a statement.
The dog was rushed to The Croft Veterinary Clinic where her chances of survival looked slim. She weighed only 4.2 kilograms (9.2 pounds) — less than half her normal body weight; the attending veterinarian estimated that the dog had spent five to six days trapped without food and water, Michael Dunthorne, veterinary nursing manager, told Paw Nation. But the tiny dog fought her way back to health and is “doing quite well,” Dunthorne said. She has gained a bit of weight and weighs 4.35 kilograms now.
“When she first came into the clinic, she was very depressed in appearance,” Dunthorne told Paw Nation. “But she has come out of her shell and is eating and drinking and seems happy.”
They have named the dog, who was not wearing a collar or identification tags, Hope. “What I would like to see now is Hope reunited with her owner,” stated Brown in a statement. “She isn’t microchipped so I would appeal for her owner to contact the borough council.”
Thus far, no one has come forward to claim Hope. “We’re required to wait seven days, but after that, we’re going to put her up for re-homing if no one claims her,” said Dunthorne. For now, Hope is staying at The Croft Veterinary Clinic where, Dunthorne said, “everyone adores her.”
oh the poor little thing. that goodness for good people that saved her!
Even in such an emaciated state she looks like a lovely dog… and not likely to be a threat to bunnies in the future!
Even in such an emaciated state she looks like a lovely dog… and not likely to be a threat to bunnies in the future!