Advertisement 'Happiest animal I've ever seen': Hiker rescues dog trapped inside remote cave for 3 weeks Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Florida man was out hiking when he heard the whine of a dog."It's sound you don't like to hear," Joe Dunn told WFLA. "Really disturbing, makes you really sad to hear."​​​​​Last weekend, Dunn documented an incredible rescue in the Withlacoochee State Forest."It was unbelievable going out there, just a cave in the middle of the wilderness," he recalled. "It took several miles to hike out there."Dunn discovered the sad sound was coming from a dog trapped deep in a cave. However, she was deep in the ground and he couldn't get to her. "She was trying to get our attention, she looked up at us, trying to jump through the cavern, trying her best," he said. Unable to perform the rescue on his own, he reached out for help and was overwhelmed by the response."Yesterday I found a dog trapped down in a cave deep in the woods and at the time was unable to get it out. It was really sad and after sharing about the situation, A great group of people contacted me who wanted to help out and we went back out there today to get the dog out of the cave," he wrote on Facebook. Several good Samaritans, including experts in technical stage rigging came to assist, traveling across Central Florida to help.The dog was trapped 20 feet below, where a rescuer was able to fasten a harness and pull her to the surface. "The dog was so happy," Dunn recalled. "She just rolled around on the grass, wanting her belly rubbed. She was the happiest animal I've ever seen." Dunn and his team learned via the dog's collar that her name was Sally. Her owner told them the dog had been missing, likely stuck down in the cave, for three weeks. "Going through all this, it made me feel really rewarded, helping another life survive," Dunn said. "To help something good happen in this world."