An 8-month-old German shepherd named Rebel somehow squeezed his head through a hole in an 18-inch block wall at his Desert Hot Springs home Monday.

Then he got stuck.

Rebel may have been chasing another animal or was just curious about the hole, said Sgt. James Huffman of Riverside County Animal Services. The dog cried and whimpered until a friend of the owner heard him and called authorities. The dog’s owner wasn’t home at the time.

County Animal Services officers arrived about 12:30 p.m. and determined that the dog was not in serious danger. Huffman said they concluded that if the dog was able to get his head into the hole, they would be able to pull him out without damaging the wall, but their main concern was not to hurt Rebel while getting him out.

An officer got on either side of the wall, tucked in the dog’s ears and nudged him back and forth for about 30 minutes before getting him out safely. Huffman said Rebel assisted in his own rescue and knew the officers were there to help him. The dog made it clear to officers when he was uncomfortable and would stiffen his hind legs to assist as they pulled him out, he said.

Rebel was released to the owner’s friend. Huffman suggested that the dog be kept away from the wall and that the owner should install chicken wire in the hole to prevent Rebel from getting stuck again.

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-- Nardine Saad

Photo: Rebel during his predicament. Credit: Sgt. James Huffman, Riverside County Animal Services