Mudge the Great Dane puppy could’ve used some help from Lassie after he fell into an old well in Cary, North Carolina.
While the famous collie wasn’t on hand to help, three fire departments banded together to save the 11-month-old canine.
According to a Facebook post from the Cary Fire Department — which worked with the Fairview Rural Fire Department and the Swift Creek Fire Department to save the 100-lb. dog — Mudge ended up in the old well after “accidentally” falling into the hole.
All three fire departments received calls about Mudge’s predicament and sent crews to assist the pet. The “crews worked seamlessly together to rescue the dog using rope rescue techniques,” per the Cary Fire Department.
WRAL reported that the rescue took several hours and lots of patience and that the effort was successful thanks to the firefighters’ hard work and rescue rig.
Photos from the rescue shared by the Fairview Rural Fire Department show the old well, which appears as a large hole surrounded by fallen leaves and trees, and the equipment needed for the rope rescue. Two other shots show Mudge being lifted out of the well.
In its Facebook post, the Cary Fire Department added that a veterinarian was at the scene to assess Mudge after rescue crews removed the puppy from the well.
“He was found to be unharmed from the incident. Great job by all involved,” the fire department concluded its post.
Mudge’s owner, Janine Haldane, told WRAL she was surprised the dog was rescued “unscathed” after his long fall into the well. The pet parent added that the old well is now covered, so no other animal or human can end up in the same place Mudge did.
According to the Fairview Rural Fire Department, Mudge enjoyed a “long puppy nap” after his overwhelming ordeal.