Golden Retriever trapped in abandoned well for 4 hours rescued by firefighters

By FOX 12 Staff

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    ALOHA, OR (KPTV) — A 12-year-old Golden Retriever was rescued by firefighters on Monday afternoon after he had fallen into an abandoned well in Aloha.

Dickson Patton says he was out mowing when he realized his dog Calvin was missing. After searching for him for about two hours, Dickson and his wife Sheryl were about to give up when they noticed their two other dogs kept going to the shed, so they checked it out.

“When he heard them, he started barking from the well and as soon as I heard that I knew what had happened. I started ripping up the rotted plywood and called the fire department,” Patton told FOX 12.

Patton says he believes Calvin chased a squirrel into the shed, then fell through the rotted plywood and into the well. By the time he had been found, Calvin had been trapped in the well for about four hours.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters from Station 62 and Station 51 responded to assist in the rescue. Using a tripod and rope system, TVF&R said firefighters lowered one person into the well. Firefighters then lifted Calvin out of the well where he was reunited with his owners.

Patton said they took Calvin to DoveLewis for evaluation. He has since been released and is now recovering at home.

TVF&R said they have technical rescue teams who train for situations like this. They said animal rescues are always carefully evaluated and often a good opportunity for them to hone in on their skills.

Those are the skills that Calvin’s owners said they’re extremely grateful for.

“I never seen an outfit so professional. So impressed,” said Patton.

The Patton’s told FOX 12 that the well had been there for more than 100 year and in their time, they’ve never had any issues with it before.

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