Dog rescued after buried alive in sinkhole

A 12 year old German shepherd in Missouri barely survived after being buried in a sinkhole for 72 hours. The hunt for Maverick started February 4th after he wandered from his home in Parkville, north of Kansas. His owner Lisa Van Valkenburgh said that he had on his invisible fence collar, but that didn't stop him from walking out of bounds. They kept searching, but they couldn't find the dog. Finally Lisa Valkenburgh heard a faint howl come from under ground by the road. She found her dog buried alive, clinging to life. The rescue authorities came to help; they finally got the dog out! They took him to they vet where he was taken care of. The owners said that the dog will no longer wander out of the yard since his electric collar had been traded for a tethered leash. 

Questions

1. What would you do if your dog was in this situation?

2. How would you act?

3. What would be a better way of controlling the dog other than putting him on a tethered leash?

Opinion: 

I think that it is terrible that the owners of the dog had to find their dog almost dead in a sinkhole! I'm glad that the dog survived, but that poor dog was buried in the ground for hours! I would freak out if my dog went missing and I found it almost dead! I feel like I wouldn't put it on a tethered leash, I would at least try to train it not to wander first. Then if that didn't work then I would go to that last resort.

Story: Dog buried

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Replies

  • I would be very scared because a dog can make a huge impact in your life. I would call for help, so I could get my dog out. I would put my dog in a kennel that way he or she stays and doesn't try to escape. When I had a dog, my dog escaped her leash all the time. 

  • Awww I feel so bad for that pup!! I'm so happy they found him though! I would now put a gate up! 72 hours is such a long time to be down there! The dog had to be so hungry! Thank God they found him :) great story!

    • I'm glad that they found the dog too! I would also put a gate up so it allows him to run around and play! It was very hungry and had some problems, but I'm also very glad that he lived!

  • If my dog was in this situation, I would be very terrified and I would do anything I can to try and get him out. Losing a pet is just like losing a family member. I would be so worried and so freaked out. A better way to control the dog is to actually train it to not go off wandering around. Also instead of just putting up an invisible fence, i would put up a real fence so the dog won't escape. 

  • I would do everything I could to try and get my dog out! I don't think there is any better way to keep her dog safe, maybe if she moved to where there weren't sinkholes or kept the dog inside and only took it out for walks and to use the bathroom. She wouldn't need a leash if she just kept an eye on her dog while it was outside. 

    • I totally agree with you, I don't think the leash is necessarily a bad thing, but it would be better if it wasn't on one! Safety is more important though!

  • I would probably go and dig them out and make sure there okay. I would kind of be worried until they got them out. Put up a real fence. 

    • Yes I agree, I didn't mention it in my summary, but the dog was in there for 3 days. I would be worried for my dog, I'm surprised they kept looking for him after that long! 

  • I would probably call someone to get the dog out of there, I would try to act calm but i would probably freak out, underground electric fence 

  • I would be very scared if my dog wandered off and later found in a sinkhole. It must have been terrifying for the dog as well as the owner. I don't know what I would do except call for help. I don't think a leash is what is needed. I think you could do some training with the dog or put of a real fence to keep the dog where you want him.

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