During one of his adventurous hikes in the Florida wilderness, Joe Dunn heard some howling sounds that piqued his curiosity. The howls soon turned into desperate barks, prompting Dunn to follow the noise deep into the Withlacoochee State Forest.
As Dunn approached a cave, he spotted a scared pup stuck at the bottom of a 20-foot-deep crevice. With a sympathetic heart, Dunn immediately sprung into action to rescue the stranded dog, who was overjoyed to see a friendly face.
When the dog caught sight of him, her tail wagged with excitement. She was filled with a glimmer of hope, dreaming of a way out of the frightening darkness.
Dunn, unfortunately, lacked the necessary tools to save the dog. In a spur of creativity, he positioned a tree stump and carefully lowered it into the cave, hoping it could serve as a makeshift ladder for the pup. But, to his dismay, she couldn’t find her way up.
With a heavy heart, he emptied his backpack of all his food, tossing it down to the hungry dog. Despite his reluctance to leave her behind, the approaching storm forced him to make a difficult decision.
Without any cell phone signal to call for assistance, Dunn had no choice but to retreat for the night. Determined, he promised himself that he would return the next day with the proper equipment to rescue the dog.
A daring rescue mission was now in the works.
After coming back home, he quickly took to Facebook to ask for assistance. His friends and fellow adventurers were eager to join the mission to rescue the dog.
The next morning, the group set out for the woods armed with ropes and necessary equipment. As they made their way to the cave, they could hear the sound of barking, which eased their worries about the dog’s well-being.
The pup was overjoyed to see that they were there for her and she remained hopeful that she would soon be saved. Her tail wagged incessantly as she observed them from the cave.
The volunteers reassured the dog with words of comfort, assuring her that everything would be alright. After securing the ropes to trees, one of them descended into the cave to retrieve the dog.
Upon reaching the bottom, the dog rushed into his arms, showering him with affectionate licks. It was clear that she was grateful for the effort the humans had put in to save her.
Swiftly, a harness was secured around the pup and the group began pulling her to safety. The dog was truly elated to be rescued.
She was trembling with fear as she descended to safety, but once her feet touched the ground, a wave of relief washed over her.
Her eyes brimmed with gratitude as she gazed at those who had come to her rescue. The sheer excitement bubbled up inside her, unable to be contained.
“The pup was ecstatic. She joyfully frolicked in the grass, eagerly seeking belly rubs. It was a sight of pure happiness,” Dunn shared.
Their hearts swelled with joy to see the dog unharmed, free of any injuries. Observing her slender frame, they surmised that she had likely been trapped in the cave within the Withlacoochee State Forest near Tampa for quite some time.
Her saviors quickly offered her food, which she devoured eagerly. Fortunately, she wore a collar with a tag bearing her name and her owner’s phone number. Without delay, they reached out to her father.
Relief and elation flooded him upon learning that his dear companion had been found. Anxiety had gripped him during the three weeks of her absence, causing him to lose hope of ever reuniting with Sally.
The long-awaited reunion with her dad was a moment of pure joy and gratitude.
That very day, the dog was able to find her way back to her dad. When Sally caught sight of him, she dashed into his arms and showered him with licks on his face. The joy of being back together was evident on both of their faces.
After expressing his gratitude to Dunn and the dedicated volunteers who helped rescue his beloved furry friend, Sally’s dad brought her back home. Sally was filled with gratitude for being back with her loving family.
It warms our hearts to hear that Sally was saved and reunited with her forever family. A huge thank you goes out to Joe Dunn and the team of volunteers for their heroic efforts.