When Laurel Johanson called her dog Cookie over to her, the 10-year-old pug took two steps before plummeting out of sight.
Amid the pouring rain, a 30-foot sinkhole opened up in Johanson’s Trenton backyard Tuesday, catching the pug, who had been scratching her rear against the back fence, off-guard.
Johanson and her girlfriend, Patricia Langston, said they couldn’t see Cookie, but heard her soft snorts and called 911.
At about 4 p.m., the UF Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service, a volunteer-run 24/7 animal rescue service, got a call, said John Haven, the director of the College of Veterinary Medicine. About two and a half hours later, a team of three UF VETS found Cookie trapped in the sinkhole.
They dug about an hour as rain sprinkled down, with Johanson and Langston tearfully watching off to the side. Johanson said she kept talking to Cookie to reassure her.
“It’s okay Cookie dog, we’re gonna get you out,” she said.
After the surface was stable, a member of the team was lowered down and grabbed Cookie, who escaped injury-free.
“(She was) just squirming all over the place and wanting to lick everybody,” Haven said.
Haven said UF VETS doesn’t charge owners for their help. Those who volunteer find the rescue itself reward enough.
“I don’t have any children, so my cats and dogs and horses are my children,” he said.
Johanson said they plan to keep her eight dogs in cages until the sinkhole is filled.
“We’re grateful, very grateful, because we seriously thought we were gonna lose her,” she said.
Contact Romy Ellenbogen at rellenbogen@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @romyellenbogen
Jenny Groover, a team member with UF Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service, holds Cookie after rescuing the dog from a 30-foot sinkhole.
