Firefighters Save Dog Buried Under Deck

When one Virginia family’s dog went missing, they looked for him everywhere, but after 48 hours without any sign of their 60-pound Pointer, they decided to call the fire department for some help.

The family thought they heard a faint cry from underneath the deck in their backyard, however, when crews arrived to investigate, they thought it was impossible that their dog, Banx, was trapped underneath since there was only a three-inch gap between the ground and the deck.

Photo by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

“The deck was less than 3 inches off the ground with gravel placed to the base of the deck. Crews conducted a thorough search for the dog but there was no evidence of the dog or of any gravel being disturbed under the deck,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said. The crews searched the rest of the home and property, but there was no sign of Banx anywhere. Firefighters started carefully removing some of the decking but still found no trace of the dog.

“After some additional time passed searching the area, the homeowner and one of the firefighters heard a small whine from under the house. Crews immediately went to work removing additional deck boards to gain access to the foundation… Firefighters began to remove some of the gravel under the slab of the home to see if there was a pocket that the dog may have crawled into. After several buckets of gravel were removed the dog’s tail and then foot could be felt. They eventually were able to remove enough gravel to get food and water to the dog while continuing to clear more gravel and dirt.”

The crew carefully dug under the foundation and eventually freed Banx. “He emerged dehydrated and a little bruised but in good shape despite the lengthy entrapment. Firefighters could only surmise that the dog went after a small animal that hid under the deck. The dog was then wedged and continued to push and dig trying to get free. In doing so he only went further under the home and the gravel he was moving was pushed behind him thus blocking any evidence of his location and his only means of escape.”