CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Firefighters on Wednesday rescued a dog that fell about 40 feet into a confined space in the Chula Vista area, officials said.
The rescue, which occurred on Vista Drive and Bonita Glen Drive, began around 3:40 p.m. and didn’t end until 6:30 p.m., according to the Chula Vista Fire Department.
A Chula Vista Animal Control official confirmed to FOX 5 that they believe the hole where the dog fell in is a water well that had been uncovered due to recent rain.
The dog’s owner, Mark, told FOX 5 they were both running around when the nine-year-old German Shepard, Indy, fell into the uncovered water well.
The rescue effort was even more risky because of the confined space — a well about 40 feet by three feet wide.
“It wasn’t reinforced so we weren’t able to sure, if any of the sides, so we felt it was too dangerous to put an actual person in the hole, which would make the operation much faster,” said Chula Vista firefighter Lee Petry.
Chula Vista firefighters Jaime Mendoza, Fernando Bayardi and Petry were instrumental in smoothly hoisting Indy to safety after several hours.
The dog’s owner was using a service called “Sniff Spot,” which allows pet owners to rent nearby properties for safe exercise or training. The property owner himself was not aware of the well, which had likely been uncovered in the recent storms.
First responders as well as CVFD Urban Search & Rescue contributed to the save.
FOX 5’s Kasia Gregorczyk contributed to this story.