Jack Russell gets into a hole lot of trouble

2:01am Monday 21st January 2008

Comments (1)   Have your say »

A JACK Russell was last night recovering after surviving a 27-hour ordeal trapped inside a cave.

Five-year-old Nell fell about 80ft after disappearing down a hole on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales on Thursday afternoon.

Frantic owner Mark Fawcett, 29, dug into the hole, on the Gunnerside Estate land above Askrigg, but was unable to reach the dog.

He called Swaledale Mountain Rescue team and they finally found her at the bottom of a previously unknown cave.

Peter Roe, the team's underground expert, found the hole turned in to a drop of 18ft before levelling out and dropping a further 18ft to a ledge.

Below the ledge, there was a further drop of 40ft to the bottom of the cave.

Mr Roe, 50, said: "I clambered down using a metal and wire ladder and there were some little passages when I was on my hands and knees.

"It took about three hours and I could not see the dog anywhere, but I thought I was just going to look for a body.

"I got to the bottom and the dog came up and licked my leg and I couldn't believe it - she should have been dead.

"It was amazing, as you would have thought anything going down would have been smashed to pieces.

"I made a little harness and hung her on the rope and climbed back up with the dog hanging there."

Mr Fawcett, a beat keeper for Gunnerside Estates, said: "We were out for a walk and she went into the hole and I presumed she was looking for a way out.

"I could hear her faintly and she's been down hundreds of holes, but when I knew she was stuck I didn't think I'd see her again."

Nell went into the hole at about 1pm on Thursday and was rescued at 4pm on Friday.

Mr Fawcett said: "I was a bit worried about them both, but I just had to wait and I was very relieved when he came back up with Nell.

"I was surprised she didn't have a few injuries after falling so far, but she was soon back to normal."