Dog Saved From Deep Sinkhole After Trying To Rescue Owner

Mattie Moore, a Buffalo resident, was taking her three-year-old German Shepherd for their usual early-morning walk when she found herself elbow-deep in a massive, hidden sinkhole. Moore's dog, Mack, was playing freely several feet away, but when he saw his owner in distress he came running -- straight for the hole.

Moore was able to pull herself out, but Mack was less fortunate: he fell 10 feet to the bottom of the sinkhole, where he waited for someone to retrieve him. Luckily, with the help of the local police and 13 members of the Buffalo fire department's technical rescue team, Mack's rescue was swift. According to Michael Paveljack, Mack's rescuer, the dog was glad to get back on dry land.

"He was scared," Paveljack told the Buffalo News. "He was ready to get out of there. I tried to lift him up, but he was too heavy."

Firefighters on the surface created a makeshift harness for the dog, which Paveljack attached under Mack's chest and neck before lifting him up to ground level from below. Once he reached the surface, Mack and his owner were thrilled to be reunited.