120-Pound Dog Rescued from Well

Kujo, a 120-pound mastiff fell down a well on his owner's property. Fortunately, a local firefighter undertook a daring rescue attempt to save the dog.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on September 02 2009

Image: iStockphoto

Kujo is a 120-pound mastiff—but unlike his almost-namesake, the ferocious beast in Stephen King’s Cujo, this dog never meant to scare anyone. Quite the opposite: he had been home alone at his owner’s house in Suitland, Maryland, and was frightened when a storm began to approach. To stay warm and safe, he climbed under his owner’s deck, but toppled through a rotten piece of plywood that covered an old, unused well. Kujo fell thirty feet, down to the bottom of the well. Fortunately, he survived the fall, but was injured and scared. He began to whine for help.

Luckily, it was less than an hour before his owner, Daniel Ellis, returned home and discovered the dog. As soon as he walked in, he could hear Kujo whimpering, and knew that something was wrong. “I went out back and walked on the deck, and I could hear him under the deck, but I didn’t know what was the problem,” Ellis told the Today Show. “I crawled up under there with a flashlight, and he was down in the well.”

Ellis wasn’t able to get Kujo out by himself, so he called the fire department. Within minutes, rescue worker Travis Lambert and his crew appeared, bringing along some harnesses and pulleys. They’d pulled humans out of tight spots before, but had never rescued a dog—so pulling up the 120-pound pet would prove to be a challenge. Though Lambert had been told that Kujo was friendly, he was still apprehensive about approaching the dog in such a tight space.

“I was nervous; he’s a big dog and there’s not a lot of room to move down there,” he said.

Lambert’s harnesses didn’t fit the dog properly, so instead, the team set up a tripod system with pulleys, and lowered Lambert in to pull the dog up. Though Kujo was frightened, he didn’t snap at his rescuer. And after Lambert and Kujo were pulled out of the well, Kujo showed Lambert his appreciation for the rescue, covering him with sloppy kisses before bounding over to his owner.

Although Kujo suffered a few scrapes and bruises from his ordeal in the well, he should make a full recovery, and is as happy as ever. As for Ellis, he’s thrilled that Lambert and the rest of the rescue crew were able to save his loyal companion. “This is my guy,” he said. “This is my buddy here.”

Filed under: Animals and Pets, General Interest,

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