Ding dong bell, doggy in the well!

Hello everybody,

I have been feeling a little lazy lately hence my lack of stories for you all to read. Please forgive me... it's a dog's life in Goa sometimes!

This little story dates back to 27 July when the centre received a message about a dog that had fallen in a well in the town of Mapusa. The silly little beggar was chasing a chicken and didn't pay attention to where he was putting his paws. Alas, he fell and dropped around 22 metres into the water. Luckily a local resident heard him yelping and called out the rescue team. By the time the call was made and everyone got the well rescue equipment ready and reached the location three hours had passed and the poor chap was exhausted from struggling to stay afloat. The delay was also caused because the team were out saving an injured cow at the time when the message about the dog was received. Wouldn’t it be a blessing if we could be in two places at the same time!?

Once at the site a team of four people got everything in place and began wiring the cage down the well. It was a very steep and slippery climb for the boys but thankfully they made it in time to get the dog out safe and sound. It was half swimming and half trying to hang on to a protruding rock on the well wall. Apart from being exhausted the dog escaped the ordeal with just minor injuries such as a few scratches and aching muscles. It was taken to the centre for observation and recovered well.

In cases like these it's not just the physical injuries that have to be taken into account. There is always an element of psychological distress and the dogs need to be given time to recover mentally and regain faith in the environment around them. It is not uncommon for dogs to fall into wells and the team at Animal Tracks always do their best to rescue them before it's too late. In the past the centre has also received calls about puppies in wells and it is not unlikely that these have been thrown in by people who didn't want them. It’s a dangerous and sometimes sad world out there! I hope this fella has learned from his mistake and thinks twice before chasing the neighbour's chicken again!

Love from me!