Dog rescued from 12-foot sinkhole in owner’s backyard

FALMOUTH, Mass — Emergency crews rescued a yellow Labrador retriever from a 12-foot-deep sinkhole that opened in a residential backyard after the dog’s owner noticed she had not returned inside with her companion.

David Velesig knew something was wrong when only one of his two dogs, Taco, came back into the house. He went to investigate and found the other, a Lab named Tessie, at the bottom of a sinkhole near the fence line.

“He went over by the fence and was barking, and I went over, and I looked down, and there were leaves and a little hole,” Velesig said. “And at the bottom of it was Tessie, and it was like 12 feet deep.”

Fearing the hole could collapse if he tried to intervene, Velesig called 911. Emergency responders said that was the right call. After stabilizing the surface around the sinkhole, crews determined conditions were too dangerous for firefighters to enter.

Instead, a ladder truck was brought in, and a harness was lowered to secure Tessie and lift her out.

“They lowered some sort of a harness type of thing that they got under her,” Velesig said. “It took a long time, and then they pulled up on the harness, and out she came.”

As the rescue continued, the number of responders on scene grew considerably.

“Two people became four people, became eight people, became, you know, two dozen people,” Velesig said. “They all worked together. A lot of people put in a lot of time.”

Tessie was not injured. After the rescue, crews filled in the sinkhole, which had been caused by hidden water drainage beneath the yard. Tessie recovered with some pepperoni while the work was completed.

Velesig said he is grateful both for his dog’s safety and for the persistence of first responders.

“They’re part of your family, so you do what you’re going to do,” he said. “With everything going on, it’s kind of nice that there’s a good story.”

Tessie and Taco are now free to roam the yard again.