Firefighters cut through concrete to rescue dog

Ohope firefighters had to cut through concrete to rescue a dog that had managed to get itself trapped under building after chasing a rabbit down a deep hole.

The Ohope Volunteer Fire Brigade had to have a second glance at their pagers when a job titled 'dog trapped under a building' came through last week.

Ohope chief fire officer Mike Christini said when they got to the job they found the dog had well and truly trapped itself under a building.

"It got onto the scent of a rabbit and it chased it down a rabbit hole. The hole went well under the building.

"She started digging her way underground and made it a good 6 to 7m before the concrete foundation of the building stopped her in her tracks."

He said the dog owners were a young couple on holiday from Taupo.

"They were on a walk with their dog when she ran under a little old scout hall. The dog would have been one or two years old, a little foxy.

"The concrete was probably about 10 inches (25.4cm) thick so we couldn't cut through it.

"We found an area further away where the concrete was thinner and we managed to get through.

"An hour or so later and the dog and owners were reunited - although I'd imagine she probably spent the rest of the night in the dog box.

"It was very unusual, but we had a happy ending."

Mr Christini said they had been called to a cat up a tree before and some years ago they had a seagull caught in a line that they had to untangle, but nothing like this before.

"She was on a mission, you wouldn't think a dog would go that far down a rabbit hole."