The street hound’s delighted response was captured on film as she was being plucked from certain death deep in a rubbish-filled well. Her pitiful yelps echoing from the bottom of the 50ft shaft had brought a rescue team from Animal Aid Unlimited to her assistance but that was only the start of a fraught rescue mission.

ANIMAL AID UNLIMITED Ruby was saved from a 50 feet rubbish-filled well

We have no idea how Ruby, a village street dog, could have survived this incredibly long fall Animal Aid Unlimited

A member of the rescue team had to be gently lowered by rope to the bottom of the fetid shaft before attempting to harness the terrified animal for the long haul back. The rescue worker had no idea how the dog would react or if she would even turn on him in her desperate state.

ANIMAL AID UNLIMITED A member of the rescue team had to be gently lowered by rope to the bottom of the fetid shaft

As the the running camera shows, once the rescuer reaches the bottom of the well, the terrified dog knows salvation has arrived and holds up her right paw in an act of welcome before allowing herself to be wrapped in a blanket and hauled back to the surface. Looking none the worse from her ordeal, the dog nicknamed Ruby then whimpers gently with joy as she is checked over by other members of the rescue team. The rescue mission was staged by Animal Aid Unlimited after a call came through to its helpline at Udaipur, 400 miles south west of New Delhi.

ANIMAL AID UNLIMITED The dog nicknamed Ruby then whimpers gently with joy

Animal Aid Unlimited describes itself a rescue centre, hospital and sanctuary for injured and sick street animals, rescuing thousands of animals a year and providing life-long care for those in need. Describing the latest mission, it says: “We have no idea how Ruby, a village street dog, could have survived this incredibly long fall.

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"We got a call on our helpline from a village near Udaipur that a dog had fallen into a 50ft deep dry well. “When we arrived we heard the most plaintive cries for help coming from the bottom of the pit.

ANIMAL AID UNLIMITED The rescue worker had no idea how the dog would react or if she would even turn on him