Dog Bears It Out for Three Days in Cave

Mary Simpson
by Mary Simpson

A curious hound killed time with a black bear while waiting for rescue.

(Photo Credit: sommthink / Shutterstock.com

If you’ve ever “misplaced” your pet, you know the angst it can cause when dinner time passes and your little wanderer is still nowhere in sight. But for a dog owner in English Mountain, Tennessee that concern grew even greater when he realized hound Charlie had just tumbled 40 feet down a very steep, super-narrow cave shaft and couldn’t get out.


Now we should mention that Charlie’s cousin Storm did something similar last year when he too, fell into a deep crevice that he couldn’t exit. Thankfully, he was quickly rescued... but is it me or are we starting to see a little bit of a monkey-see/monkey-do scenario playing out here? Well, this time let’s just say that Charlie “upped” the danger factor with his more recent spill.


You see, as the title implies, our little tumbler Charlie found himself co-habiting the ultra-tight space with a 200-pound black bear who was curled up sleeping just five feet away. So, while his locale was known and the area volunteer fire department was on-site, ready and able to rappel down the shaft to rescue the tired hound, they decided it might be best to re-think their approach lest they poke the proverbial sleeping bear. So, they watched and waited.


Luckily, Charlie kept his cool and the rescue team set up trail cameras to monitor the bear’s movements. Within a couple of days, they were able to establish that the dog’s roomie had left the cave and not returned – meaning they could now spring into action.


Three volunteer rope rescue technicians quickly descended into the cave with a dog harness in hand. Sadly, their optimism was temporarily dashed as it appeared the exhausted pooch had slipped deeper into the narrow gap making him now unreachable. But dog lovers that they are, they persevered and determination won out as Charlie was eventually located, harnessed up, and as evidenced by this Facebook post made by the Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department, lifted up and out of the cave to a thankful owner.


Now, he isn’t the first pooch to have found himself in unforgiving territory. A recent Missouri dog owner discovered his missing pooch had been found at the bottom of a 500-foot cave by a group of cave divers exploring the area. They bundled him up, strapped him in and transported him to the surface where they ultimately reunited him with his very grateful pet parents.


But for our hungry Charlie, he finally did make it home - late but ready for dinner. And I’d suggest his pet parents decline any future requests for play-dates with cousin Storm - who is so clearly a bad influence.

Mary Simpson
Mary Simpson

Sharing space with three seriously judgy Schnoodles and a feline who prefers to be left alone. #LivingMyBestLife

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