YELVERTON firefighters came to the rescue of a dog who had fallen down a well near Buckland Monachorum on Saturday.
Hector the Springer Spaniel was pulled to safety by firefighter Tony Smith after he plunged four metres down the well while out walking with his owner in a remote woodland.
The crew used ladders and lines to rescue Hector who had been wedged against the side of the well thanks to the quick thinking of a fellow walker who had placed a tree branch down the opening.
Hector?s owner from Bere Ferrers ran to the nearest property over half a mile away to use a telephone and had to receive medical attention after she collapsed.
The site at Double Waters was inaccessible to large vehicles and firecrews carried their equipment to the scene. A four wheel drive vehicle from Tavistock Fire Station was mobilised to transport the dog owner to the ambulance situated nearby.
Yelverton?s leading firefighter Alan Brown praised the walkers for not attempting to rescue the dog themselves: ?There are wells and mine shafts in that area which are very deep and unfenced,? he said. ?Anyone walking would notice them but if a dog is running around it could easily fall down one.
?Fortunately the tree branch saved the dog from drowning and he was uninjured in the incident.?