Tactical team rescues dog from 30-foot well in Middleboro
MIDDLEBORO - Tactical teams rushed to rescue a one-year-old dog that fell down a nearly 30-foot well in Middleboro. The dog was chasing a feral cat when it dropped into the uncovered well on a nearby property.
"Normally he has a collar on. You let the noise go, and he comes right back. [My wife Nicole] can hear him yelping, but he isn't getting back to us," said Terry Balestra. "Within a minute, she runs into the house, and says, 'Call the fire department! Call the fire department! The dog is in a hole.'"
Fire crews showed up to the house with a ladder, but Balestra says the firefighters realized that they couldn't get down into the well without proper protection. They had to call for assistance.
Dog stuck in well for more than 2 hours
"Next step, they said they have to call the county tactical team," said Balestra in disbelief. "Before they send a person down, they have to have a tactical team because God forbid the well breaks in, they have to be able to get the human out."
She says the tactical crew showed up with a tripod to lower the first responder into the well. The dog, Bandit, was in the well for more than two hours with two feet of water at the bottom.
Rescuers feared the Bandit may succumb to hypothermia, but they said cattle dogs have a second coat of fur which doubled the amount of time they had to get the dog out safely. Somehow, he suffered no broken bones despite the drastic fall.
"Because he was scratching so much, his nails got filed down," said Balestra. "He is a little sore and not jumping around as much as we would like."
Terry and Nicole sent pizza to the first responders in the area as a thank you. Their neighbors plan to take care of the uncovered well problem.
"They have been great, and they have plans to backfill the well for the safety of the kids in the neighborhood," said Balestra.
