A miracle dog survived 12 days trapped down a badger sett after her owner refused to give up hope and camped out in the woods waiting for her safe return.
46-year-old Victoria Hogan was left devastated when her border terrier Freda became trapped underground after darting down the hole during a walk.
Victoria held an eight day vigil at Lickey Hills Country Park near Birmingham, England in the hope that she would return.
She tried to get her pet to come out of his shell by making bacon, blowing down the holes with a leaf blower and trying to make him eat it.
Incredibly, 12 days later the six-year-old pooch remerged and was found by three students by a roadside.
Freda received urgent care for malnutrition and dehydration at Blacks Vets’ hospital in Dudley.
She is now back at her home in Lickey, Worcestershire with owners Victoria, husband Brian, and their other terrier Bert after recovering from the dramatic ordeal.
Victoria, who works alongside her husband at the same vets, said, “I camped out for eight days in the hope that Freda would somehow miraculously re-emerge.
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” The Badgers Trust, RSPCA and Hereford Fire Service were great supporters of us. Worcester and Hereford even employed specialist listening devices, cameras, and microphones to help locate her. However, there was no trace.
“On the eighth day, I said, “I must give up and start to grieve” and returned home. I left her blanket, bowl, and other items behind at the park, just in case.
“Then, on day 12, I was told three students had found Freda collapsed at the side of a nearby road and I initially feared the worst… When I was told she was alive it felt like a miracle and I ran out of the house to find her.
“She was very weak and bedraggled but she was alive, so we rushed her to Blacks Vets 24/7 emergency hospital in Dudley where my husband Brian is based.
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“They were so supportive and accommodating from the moment it happened… By the time we arrived the nurses and emergency team had already organized a heated bed, had fluids and pain relief ready, and were all geared up to treat her wounds.
“Some of our colleagues even came in to help, even though they were not on duty.
“They were all fabulous and I now fully realize just how important it is for a vets to provide a 24/7 emergency service that can make the difference in cases such as Freda’s.”
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Brian, who is the clinical director of Blacks Vets, added, “I’ve been a vet for almost 30 years but Freda’s story is one of the most incredible I’ve ever known.
“She was severely malnourished and dehydrated and had some significant pressure sores as a result of being trapped and wedged underground for so long but, thankfully, nothing that she could not overcome.
“She spent two days in Blacks Hospital for treatment. She was then released to go home with Bert, her brother and other family members. It was obviously an extremely happy occasion .”
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