Rescuers save dog stuck in a cave at Umdoni Point
It was an emotional time for those involved in the rescue.
How Daisy the dog got herself stuck in a cave at Umdoni Point in Pennington last Friday, no one is quite sure. How she was rescued was a tale (pardon the pun) of a community pulling together to help each other, especially when in need.
Brendan Coelho had taken his mother’s dogs, Daisy and Tyler, for a mid-morning walk when Daisy disappeared into the cave through a small opening. Desperate, Brendan began asking strangers to help save her.
One of these people was Viv Sandwith, who was due to meet with Mary McKenzie and Linda Stead at Pennington Beach Café. Mary had just arrived and overheard the conversation. Immediately, despite the scorching heat, she kicked off her shoes and hurried across the sand after Brendan. In the meantime, Viv contacted Paul Tedder from P&G Construction, who sent people to assist.
Back at the cave, Brendan wriggled in for his third attempt to rescue Daisy, but he couldn’t get in far enough to get a good grip on her. This could only be done by lying flat on one’s stomach and ‘leopard-crawling’ into the dark. “He came out hot, wet, muddy and very discouraged,” said Mary.
Two of the P&G helpers also went into the cave but were unsuccessful. They were followed by Jake Tedder, who also couldn’t reach the dog. “We could hear him talking to Daisy encouraging her to come out on her own on the basis that she had gotten her head into the hole, surely she could get it out, but that was not to be,” said Mary.
The hot weather did not make things easier, either. “We were discouraged and concerned for Daisy, who must have been terrified. At this point we considered our alternatives, which of course were limited, and began to think the unthinkable – euthanasia.” In order to avoid that, Jake decided they needed a generator and equipment to cut through the rock.
At this point, three deep sea divers arrived and volunteered to help. One of them entered the cave, then the second, followed by the third, but no joy. “Everyone was committed to rescuing Daisy, but we were tired and disheartened and for those crawling into the cave the situation was somewhat worse. On behalf of the Pennington Conservancy, I offered a reward to the person who rescued Daisy,” said Mary.
One of the divers, Peter (surname unknown), re-entered the cave. He was in the cave for quite some time before finally shouting ‘I’ve got her’! It was difficult to say who was more overjoyed with the successful rescue, Daisy or the dedicated rescue team.
Daisy’s owner, Bernardine Baldwin, thanked everyone involved in the rescue. “Words cannot express my gratitude and we are so grateful for this community we live in,” she said.
Brendan also thanked everyone and said that it is important to ask for help in tough situations as he could not have saved Daisy on his own.
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