Blind, deaf dog gets stuck 15 feet down tortoise den. Then rescuers see owner’s post

A dog was rescued after it found its way into a tortoise den 15 feet down, Arizona officials said.

The blind and deaf dog, identified as a Chihuahua breed named Lucy by AZ Family, had been stuck in a tortoise den in Glendale since Nov. 15, according to a Nov. 19 Facebook post by Samson’s K9 Search & Rescue.

The search-and-rescue team got wind of the situation after seeing the owner’s social media post but after reaching out, it was unable to get in contact, officials said.

After comparing the chain link fence standing on the other side in the post to Google earth, crew member Kim Powell found the home, officials said.

Powell went to the home after 11 sleepless nights while working on an unrelated rescue mission, officials said.

“We did have quite a few attempts initially where she kind of almost stepped in to the loop on the snare, but because she’s so small ... she doesn’t have a lot of weight to pull against that,” Powell told AZ Family.

Lucy survived the cold conditions while inside the hole and Powell successfully completed the rescue mission after four hours, officials said.

Rescuers told AZ Family after Lucy was brought to safety, her owner said, “Bless you guys! That’s my baby!”

Glendale is about a 10-mile drive northwest from Phoenix.

This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Blind, deaf dog gets stuck 15 feet down tortoise den. Then rescuers see owner’s post."