A Florida outdoorsman launched an incredible rescue for a helpless dog who had been stuck in a 20ft-deep cave for three long weeks.

Joe Dunn, an avid hiker who runs the blog Florida Trailblazer, was exploring in the Withlacoochee State Forest near his home in Tampa when he heard the desperate howls of an animal on Saturday, June 1.

He followed the whimpers and found a dog stuck in a cave buried deep in the Florida wilderness.

'It was unbelievable going out there, just a cave in the middle of the wilderness. It took several miles to hike out there,' the adventurer told WFLA.

He was shocked to hear the howls and found the poor creature at the bottom of the cave, frightened and whimpering.

Florida explorer Joe Dunn launched a heroic rescue mission for a dog he found trapped in a 20ft-deep cave in the Withlacoochee State Forest near Tampa on Saturday, June 1. He tried to rescue the dog by putting this log down for the her to climb, but the plan failed

Dunn then called in volunteers and reinforcements on social media to rescue the pup and they returned the next day Sunday June 2 with ropes and and a harness

Together the volunteers rigged ropes to nearby trees and one went down into the cave to fetch the dog

They attached a harness to the dog and lifted her up to safety on Sunday

'She was trying to get our attention, she looked up at us, trying to jump through the cavern, trying her best,' Dunn said on the rescue

'It's a sound you don't like to hear. Really disturbing, makes you really sad to hear,' Dunn said.

'She was trying to get our attention, she looked up at us, trying to jump through the cavern, trying her best,' he added.

But Dunn couldn't reach the dog on his own, so he walked four miles out of the forest to get cell reception and posted on social media asking for help and got some volunteers to meet him.

On his blog Florida Trailblazer he posts about his solo explorations in the wilderness.

Dunn's friend Steve Pavlik who follows his adventure blog, volunteers from Rhino Staging who are experts in technical rigging from Central Florida, and volunteer John Neal of Orlando, came to the rescue the following day.

The dog, named Sally, had a collar with a phone number on it. Her owners said that their beloved pet had been missing for three weeks

'The dog was so happy. She just rolled around on the grass, wanting her belly rubbed. She was the happiest animal I've ever seen,' Dunn said on Sally

Safe and sound! Sally was found to be incredible skinny but in otherwise fine condition

'I want to thank these guys. They wanted to help, and they came from all over. Now, we've become friends. This dog brought us together,' Dunn (in orange) said on the rescue

'We were on a mission, on autopilot, trying to get this dog out,' Dunn said.

'Once we pulled her out the cave it was a feeling of relief just knowing that no matter what she at least out of that cave. She had no hope of surviving down there and it was a feeling of fate that our paths crossed,' Dunn said to DailyMail.com.

Together the group rigged ropes to nearby trees to climb down the cave. They put a harness on the dog and carried her up to safety.

'After some time of setting up the ropes and such making sure everyone was safe the dog was able to be pulled to safety. A sigh of relief I felt,' he added.

The canine was so petrified her legs shook uncontrollably as she made it to the ground and finally plopped her body down, relieved to make it out of the cave.

The dog, named Sally, had a collar with a phone number on it. Her owners said that their beloved pet had been missing for three weeks.

'He was very surprised it seemed to know we found her and didn’t expect her to be in that area. He was happy though and came later that day to pick her up,' Dunn explained on reuniting Sally with her owner.

'Going through all this, it made me feel really rewarded, helping another life survive. To help something good happen in this world,' Dunn said

Dunn pictured above in orange with his team of dedicated volunteers who came across Florida to come to Sally's rescue

She was found incredible skinny, but in fine condition.

'The dog was so happy. She just rolled around on the grass, wanting her belly rubbed. She was the happiest animal I've ever seen,' Dunn said.

'Going through all this, it made me feel really rewarded, helping another life survive. To help something good happen in this world...Just a rewarding experience,' he added.

Dunn proudly posted about the successful rescue mission rescue on Facebook writing: '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.'

'I am happy to report that we successfully got her out and returned the owner,' he added.

'I feel like this dog has touched many lives she is special and she brought a group of us together who o didn’t know before and now we are friends as well and have story we will always remember,' Dunn said.