Trapped French expat dog finally freed by volunteers
A dog belonging to a British man in C么te-d鈥橭r has been rescued by a team of volunteers after being trapped in a tunnel for six days, despite the official rescue having been called off.
Billy the fox terrier, whose owner is British, on April 3, after running through artificial tunnels next to the Bourgogne canal.
It is thought that the tunnels had become partially collapsed, trapping the 13-year-old pet.
Firefighters were called to help with the rescue, with crews attempting to pump water out through the tunnels to help free the dog, while the animal himself sheltered in another tunnel.
Departmental potholers and divers were also called.
Jean-Marc Chaput, technical consultant for the department, said: 鈥淲e asked for pumps to help clear the water, and we found a network of tunnels that we couldn鈥檛 get through. But we were sure that the dog was there.鈥�
Similarly, canal management company VNF (Voies Navigables de France) also became involved, attempting to lower the level of the canal waters to allow the searchers to access the tunnel.
During the rescue, firefighter Herv茅 Gauthier : 鈥淲e can hear [Billy] but we can鈥檛 see him. We are putting everything we can in place to reach him. Access is difficult and the ground is unstable.鈥�
After several failed attempts at rescue - and some firefighters becoming stuck and requiring saving themselves - Bernard Schmeltz, commissioner for Bourgogne-Franche-Comt茅, .
He said: 鈥淸We] cannot continue to risk the lives of the would-be rescuers by pursuing this.鈥�
A department press release said it 鈥渄id not forbid鈥� any rescue operation by volunteers, but strongly recommended against it due to the instability of the area and the presence of water.
But comedian R茅mi Gaillard - advocate for animal causes and head of animal welfare group Anymal - then took up the cause, saying that 鈥淸we] cannot just let the animal die鈥�.
He said: 鈥淭he more I hear from these people [authorities], the more I admire dogs.鈥�
Mr Gaillard wrote a Facebook post calling for support for the rescue, and saying that Billy was 鈥渟till alive, and had not stopped barking鈥� since he became trapped.
As a result, volunteer teams showed up to help, with some helping to provide an extra water pump, and a group of volunteer potholers also coming to the dog鈥檚 aid.
Billy was finally freed on Tuesday April 9.
The owner told a reporter from NGO foundation 30 Millions d鈥橝mis: 鈥淚 am so happy. It鈥檚 unbelievable鈥Billy] is OK, he just has a little cut.鈥�
Billy was later taken to a vet, who diagnosed him with slight dehydration but otherwise gave him a clean bill of health and let him go home.
