Dog gets stuck in hole for five hours

Yorkie the adventurous pooch

By Paul Thornton
A CURIOUS canine sparked an eight-hour rescue mission after chasing a rabbit down a warren.

Yorkie, a Jack Russell cross, had to be dug out of the rabbit-hole by fire fighters after he became lodged in narrow passages.

The tiny tunnel was too small for the terrier to turn and he became wedged 14-foot along and could not free himself.

Despite desperate efforts to free him his worried owner had to call on local emergency workers after her beloved dog could not escape.

The five-year-old pooch was eventually hoisted to safety and despite a little dehydration and stiffness was none the worse for wear.

The rescue unfolded in fields at Atton, in the Scottish Borders.

Owner Lynn Lauder said she had been tending to a horse she kept at stables at Bleechfields while Yorkie and sister Whitey played together.

The 40-year-old activities officer became worried when she called on the mutts and only Whitey returned – covered in distinctive dirt.

The clue led Lynn to a nearby rabbit warren and, after checking several holes, finally heard the faint bark of the longhaired cross of a Jack Russell and a Patterdale terrier.

Her beloved pet had strayed into the side of a warren and delved so far in he could not turn round.

Lynn was unable to free him despite five hours of digging and, with the light fading, called the local fire watch at Eyemouth.

She said: “Yorkie had obviously got sight of a rabbit and chased it into the hole.

“But he is a chunky wee man and got himself stuck in the narrow tunnel and couldn’t get himself turned round.

“We dug in a bit but couldn’t get to him and as the light started to fail we became a bit worried we weren’t going to get him out – it was all getting a bit frantic.”

A fire crew rushed in to the scene to help and were at first concerned for Yorkie’s welfare.

Officer in charge, Gale Coates, said: “He was quite still and I was quite worried at first.”

But one officer devised a make-shift harness to pull him free at around 7.20pm, almost eight hours after he went missing.

Gale added: “We dug in from the bottom and reached in with a pole with a rope looped at the top.

“We managed to get it under his arms and pull him gently back out.

“When he came out, you would not know that he had been there for eight hours, he seemed none the worse for wear.

“He looked ready to charge after the next rabbit that came along.”

Lynn said after a bath and some dinner Yorkie was back to his old self.

She said: “He was a bit hungry and dehydrated but by the next morning he was fine. I don’t think he saw that he was in any danger, he was just happy to see everyone.

“It’s a big thanks to the fire brigade, if it hadn’t been for their quick thinking I don’t know what would have happened.

“I have had Yorkie since he was born and I would be absolutely devastated to lose him.”

Mutt gets ready to shoot to stardom

By Cara SuliemanA CANINE mascot is getting ready to be promoted to bombardier after he fires a cannon with his nose.

Blue the Yorkshire terrier has already starred in a ceremony for Greyfriars Bobby, laying a wreath on his grave.

And now the miniature mutt is set to fire his very own replica of the One o’Clock Gun.

The two feet tall model will be operated remotely and Blue will use his nose to press the firing button.

This isn’t the first time the Greyfriars look-a-like has performed in public, he was the star attraction at the faithful pooch’s anniversary celebrations, placing a wreath on the grave.

On that occasion Blue was dressed in a new regimental dress coat with the colours and insignia of the Royal Artillery.

And now the mascot of the One o’Clock Gun Association is preparing himself for his next trick.

The association is hoping to use the scale model to launch their exhibition at Edinburgh Castle, and have started building it already.

George Robinson, the secretary of the group, wants the model to be an exact replica of the original cannon.

He said: “It will probably be fired electronically and we’re hoping the dog will press the button with his nose. We think it would be really funny.

“Blue is a truly unique dog and the sort of things he is able to do are incredible. He’s just a little show-off really.

“Once he has passed his gunnery test and fires the cannon we’re going to add two stripes to his uniform and make him Bombardier Blue.”

Blue will be making his public appearance at the re-launch of the One o’Clock Gun exhibition at Edinburgh Castle later this year.

The little dog’s owner John Lovie, a former RAF aircraftsman, has already got started on the work.

He said: “We’re building it at the moment and I don’t think it will be that long before we have it completed. It will look like a real gun, with the wood at the sides.

“We’re hoping that Blue will be able to fire it with his nose. He uses his nose quite a lot to let people know he’s about.”

As well as making his public appearances, Blue is becoming somewhat of a celebrity in North Berwick, where he lives.

The whole association want the pooch to be made the official mascot for the town.

East Lothian Provost Sheena Richardson said it is a “most interesting idea,” but the council haven’t ruled anything out, stating that it is too early to make a decision.