Cave explorers rescue dog missing for two months

A day going caving turned into a rescue operation and a happy ending.

A group of spelunkers from Perry County, Missouri, were exploring the Tom Moore Caves when they came across a dog, KTVI reported.

They had been caving for only about 20 minutes until they found Abby, a senior dog who had been missing for about two months, according to Southeast Missourian.

They were not sure how long Abby had been in the cave and how she survived, but there was some running water along with fish and crustaceans. However, the area where Abby was found was in complete darkness.

“She was just laying there balled up on the mud floor,” Rick Haley told the Southeast Missourian. “She did not get up or wag her tail, she was in pretty bad shape. It was obvious she had been there a long time. She was skin and bones, emaciated. There’s plenty of water down there but zero things to eat.”

The area is also prone to flooding and there had been some heavy rains so she may have been swept into the cave by flood waters, the newspaper reported.

The group was able to get Abby through a 2-foot cave opening before embarking on a 500-foot vertical climb, using a duffel bag to carry her up and out, one of the climbers said on Facebook. They gave her a bit of beef jerky before trying to find her home.

Hey Facebook! Here’s a feel good story of survival. I’m at a caving project in Perry county where a hand full of...
Posted by Rick Haley on Saturday, August 6, 2022

After they got her out of the cave, firefighters and the rescuers went door-to-door to see if they could find Abby’s owners.

“Which is hysterical because I’m wearing my cave gear and all muddy,” Gerry Keene told the Southeast Missourian. “I must have looked like a hobo banging on people’s doors.”

Luckily, they did and Abby was reunited with her family, who said that they hadn’t seen her since June 9 and thought that she was gone, KTVI reported.

“Abby is recovering well,” Jeff Bohner, Abby’s owner, told the Southeast Missourian. “She’s still very thin, but she’s been eating well. She’s slowly getting back to a regular diet. She’s walking around and friendly. Looks like she’s going to make a full recovery.”

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