Emaciated Dog Found By Cavers Reunites With Family

A lost dog who fell 30 feet down into a cave and may have spent two weeks there miraculously survived thanks to a group of cavers. In early September, cavers were exploring Dewey Hickman Nature Preserve in Indiana when they saw movement down a pit. There, at the bottom of the hole was a thin black and white dog!

“The cavers believe that the dog…may have originally been caught by his collar on a branch as he fell, as there appeared to be scratch marks about halfway down the shaft,” wrote the Harrison County Animal Control. “We believe the dog was eventually able to wiggle free and dropped to the bottom of the cave.”

The dog, whose name is Hawkeye, managed to survive by drinking water from an empty turtle shell that cavers noticed at the bottom of the cave. Tray Heinke, one of the cavers who saved Hawkeye believes the rain water helped keep Hawkeye alive! But the dog was very thin after his ordeal, leading Harrison County staff to believe he may have been in the cave for up to two weeks.

Upon arriving at the shelter, Hawkeye curled up on a couch for a well deserved rest.

Fortunately, Hawkeye’s family was located shortly after his arrival at the shelter. “It’s actually a little girl’s dog – her and her dad,” Heinke told WBRD News.

Before reuniting with his family, Hawkeye had a visit from his rescuers.

“Hawkeye got to reunite with a couple of the rescuers before going home today,” wrote the shelter. “We cannot thank them enough for being his heroes.”

Cameras were rolling when Hawkeye was reunited with his family.

We’re so glad Hawkeye was found and will be okay. And more than that, he’s back with his family!