MADISON (WKOW) — The Madison Fire Department rescued a family's rat terrier last week after it fell into a construction hole.
MFD spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said firefighters responded to Captains Court, which is off of Watts Road, around noon last Thursday. There, a family's 16-year-old rat terrier was at the bottom of a utility construction excavation hole. The hole was 4-5 feet deep.
Schuster said the dog was conscious and uninjured, but couldn't get out because of how deep and narrow the hole was.
Crews tried to get the dog out by lowering in an attic ladder, hoping the dog could use it to climb out. They then lowered a firefighter head-first to lift the dog out, but the opening was too narrow and the dog became distressed.
Finally, crews used a strap known as "firefighter webbing" to make a makeshift collar. They lowered it down and wrapped it around the dog, who was safely lifted to the surface.
Schuster said the dog's owners confirmed it wasn't injured and that they didn't need any more assistance.
Firefighters noted that other holes at the construction site were properly covered and marked, and they covered up the open hole and placed traffic cones around it to prevent any further accidents.
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