Dog rescued after two days lost underground

A six-year-old parson Russell Terrier has been rescued after he was trapped underground for two days.

Cello was out walking with his owner, Stephen Smith, in Hoveringham, Nottinghamshire, when he wandered off towards a badger sett and became lost in the network of tunnels.

Rescuers first had to obtain a licence from Natural England before digging near the sett, to avoid disturbing the badgers or causing the tunnels to collapse.

Volunteers from Notts Lost Dogs, alongside crews from Newark Fire Station, carefully excavated part of the sett and eventually located Cello about 60cm (2ft) underground.

Cello was unharmed and safely reunited with his owner after his ordeal.

Smith, from Bleasby, said he had taken Cello for a walk in a field on 17 August and let him off the lead to explore before he went missing.

"I took him and one of his friends out for a walk and they disappeared. After a while, the other dog came back, but Cello didn't, so I went searching for him. The other dog helped me locate where he was.

"I was sitting near this badger sett wondering where he was when, after a while, I heard him bark."

In order to rescue Cello, a licence from Natural England had to be obtained.

These licences are required to lawfully close, destroy or interfere with a badger sett, or to carry out development work near one, as badgers are a protected species.

Interfering with a badger sett without a licence can result in a prison sentence of up to six months and an unlimited fine.

Smith said the experience left him feeling anxious.

"I didn't sleep much during that time and I didn't feel like eating. I was pretty anxious, but I knew I had to try and work out what to do."

He praised the rescue team for freeing Cello so quickly.

"I was surprised how quickly they got him out. It's a specialised way of digging because you can't go straight down from the top as the tunnel could collapse and suffocate him.

"They dug in at an angle and suddenly the side of the tunnel gave way. They put a camera down and saw a pair of eyes. They made the hole a bit bigger and he was out."

Following the ordeal, Smith said Cello had made a full recovery and was enjoying walks again.

"He's back to his normal self and wants to go out for another walk. He was dehydrated and pretty hungry, and he slept for about 24 hours, but then he was back to normal.

"It made me realise just how attached I am to him. It's really great to have him back."

Kim Jefcott, from Notts Lost Dogs, said there was an anxious wait to rescue Cello.

"It was very worrying because we didn't know whether it was an active badger sett. Lots of things go through your mind. Badgers are very protective and can be aggressive if they feel threatened, so we were concerned for Cello's safety."

Crews from Newark Fire and Rescue Service attended, along with Natural England and the police, with a permit to dig a badger sett.

They used an inspection camera to locate Cello underground before digging him free.

"It was very stressful, but we could hear him barking, so we knew he was still alive. I wasn't going to leave until he was out, added Jefcott.

"At one point, we thought we might not get the licence until the next day, so I was prepared to stay there all night just to keep him company."

Jefcott added that Cello was in good spirits when he was finally rescued.

"He was absolutely fine and wagging his tail. He had sore eyes, which was understandable after being underground in the dark for two days and getting soil and sand in them.

"Other than that, he was the lovely, friendly little dog he always is. His owner, Stephen, was there and was understandably over the moon. Cello got plenty of fuss from the firefighters and everyone involved in the rescue."

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