We can’t help but wonder where lost dogs travel to during their time away. Some dogs go on crazy adventures across the country while others remain closer than you’d think. For one family, their dog had a unique expedition.
After running away, their dog named Gertie got trapped inside the walls of the neighbor’s garage. The poor pup went unnoticed for days, but then she finally decided to call for help. Officials guess that she was in those walls for five days straight, so she was overjoyed to run into the loving arms of her humans afterward.
So Close, Yet So Far
Connie Frick and Lynn Herman know that their dog Gertie is an escape artist. She has run away before, but she usually returns to their garage shortly after. As Herman opened the front door one day, Gertie bolted out and ran into the woods. When she didn’t return later that day, her family worried.
So, Frick and Herman put up lost dog posters around town, hoping someone had seen Gertie. Luckily, the pup was closer than they thought.
Five days after Gertie went missing, the family’s neighbor, Vanessa Rolland, heard an unusual whining sound in her garage. Rolland talked to the whines, and her dog barked. Eventually, Gertie barked back. Once Rolland realized a dog was in the walls, she called Cincinnati firefighters to the scene.
“We’re just very happy and lucky and very grateful to our neighbors,” said Frick.
Gertie is Safe!
Gertie had fallen through a decaying crevice on the roof of the hillside garage. Then, she got stuck between two concrete walls. Rescuers had no choice but to break her out of there.
Firefighter Jenny Atkins brought a sledgehammer, which she used to break a small hole in the garage wall. She had to hit it quite a few times to make an opening big enough for Gertie. Then, she had to coax Gertie through the hole and gently lift her out. Shortly after, Gertie ran to her humans for a heartwarming reunion.
“It was just so sweet, just wagging that little nub tail, and she was just so, she was so excited,” Frick said.
Gertie seems happy and healthy despite her unusual adventure. Perhaps this event taught her to appreciate the comfort of her home even more than before. Five days is a long time to sit alone somewhere, so she’s lucky that someone found her in time.
H/T: wymt.com
Featured Image: Screenshot, @Cincinnati.Fire.Department/Facebook
Toledo, United States.
