Par Margot Delpech
Published on 1 Jan 24 at 7:10 See my news Follow Le Républicain Sud-Gironde
It was a real race against time. Thanks to a great collective effort, a 3-year-old dog was saved after more than 24 hours of trying to save her. It was more than 3 meters deep in a stone cavity in the countryside in Escoussans, Gironde. Narrative.
The dog followed a fox
In Escoussans, Thursday December 28, 2023 around 9 a.m., Jean-Michel Richard takes a look at his dog, Princess. As usual, she is outside and enjoying the fresh air in the countryside. That day, the Jagd Terrier spots a fox near the house. Excited, she gradually moves away from her home. “At that moment, she went completely crazy, she followed the pin,” says the owner.
An hour later, Princess still hasn’t returned. Unusual behavior as the dog returns home each time. The hours go by and do nothing to reassure the 62-year-old winemaker. He decides to call his son, Thomas, and warns a neighbor, Florence David. The master has only one fear: that she will find herself stuck in the caves, near his home.
It was at least 3 to 4 meters deep
Jean-Michel Richard, owner of Princesse
All three begin the search in broad daylight, and therefore head towards the famous stone quarries nearby. Bingo. Jean-Michel spots his dog, through a small hole in the rock. But impossible to approach him. Time passes, and night begins to fall. It’s 5:30 p.m. “It was at least 3.4 meters deep. The hole through which we saw her is not the one through which she entered,” he continues.
He calls the village mayor, Catherine Bertin, who arrives with her husband, president of the hunters’ association. In the meantime, Princesse’s owner calls the firefighters. The latter confirm that it is indeed Princess inside the hole, but unfortunately, the intervention requires a lot of resources.
Speleologists as reinforcements
The mayor of Escoussans suggests that Jean-Michel Richard contact the speleologists. They know the careers perfectly. They arrive immediately. “I suggested going there as quickly as possible with another speleologist, Frédéric Maffre, and a friend. Extra arms were not too much, even if he is not a speleologist,” reports Sandrine Dupas, speleologist, present during the operation.
Sandrine Dupas, speleologist, took the dog out into the cavity of the rock in which she had been stuck for hours. ©Document sent to Actu.fr
As she stands at the edge of the hole, Sandrine hears Princess breathing. “I then start to enter the hole, but the helmet does not fit. I take responsibility for taking out my helmet, I get in easily, with only one arm in front. I see the little dog, but I can’t touch her. I visualize the difficulties and come out,” says the young woman.
Until 4 a.m., in vain
There, the speleologists present and the Richard family decided to continue the unblocking in the middle of the night. Exhausted, they face the facts: they need a perforator and more arms to enlarge the hole. At 4 a.m., they decided to postpone the rest of the operation until dawn. They meet at daybreak in front of the cave, with hunter friends, Florentin Bgard and his father, to their rescue. A mason provided a perforator, and everyone finished breaking the rock.
They make sure the dog is still alive. “I asked my son if she was still breathing, he told me ‘yes’, I told everyone ‘let’s go’, explains Jean-Michel. The little dog is stuck on all sides by the rock. For the owner, it is impossible to go there himself. Sandrine, the speleologist, decides to take over.
She clung to me, I finished freeing her head before removing her completely from this nightmare
Sandrine Dupas, speleologist who removed Princess from the hole
Thanks to Princess’ free front paws, she managed to make her way to catch it.
“She grabbed onto me, I finished freeing her head before removing her completely from this nightmare. A somewhat distressing situation where you have to know how to keep your cool, she recalls. Frédéric, with whom I am used to working, took me out. I had complete confidence in him. Everyone did a huge job. »
The dog taken to the vet
The operation ended around 12 p.m. The dog was immediately taken to the veterinarian. Result: a few scratches. She is slowly recovering. Fortunately in this story, more fear than harm…
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2024-01-01 10:44:11
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