Cavers find ‘living miracle’ 50 feet underground in Virginia. ‘There’s a dog down here’

Professional cavers from Colorado were descending into the depths of a 50-foot cave in Virginia when they came across a “living miracle.”

A dog, with no broken bones, was alone in the dark at the bottom of the cave in Narrows, the Giles County Animal Shelter said July 8.

Jesse Rochette told the Associated Press that his party rigged up their ropes and started down the cave when the first person made the discovery.

“He said, ‘Whoa! There’s a dog down here!’” Rochette told AP. “And I asked if it was alive and he said ‘Yes!’”

Then Rochette said he went down and fed the dog a piece of salami, which she “loved.” The shelter shared in a Facebook post that Rochette stayed with the dog during the three-hour rescue.

“He spent this time gaining her trust so he could strap her to his chest and begin their ascension together,” the shelter said.

Rochette and Dave Jackson, of the Colorado Springs company CaveSim, told AP they used their rescue gear to fashion a harness for the dog.

“As the two of us cleared the edge of the pit and made it to fresh air, she instantly perked up,” Rochette told the outlet. “She lifted her head up and started sniffing the air.”

They brought her to Virginia Tech’s veterinary school, and they learned she had Lyme disease, spinal inflammation and weak hind legs, but no broken bones, the animal shelter said.

After the medical check, the Giles County Animal Shelter took her in and is searching for her owner. But if no one comes forward, she’ll be put up for adoption.

The community came together to raise money for her medical expenses, and she’s healing quickly, the animal care team shared in a July 10 update.

“She takes her medicine like a champ and eats like there’s no tomorrow,” the shelter said.

For now, they’re calling her Sparsy, saying Rochette gave her the name from the acronym SPAR-C, which stands for Small Party Assisted Rescue - Canine.

Shelter workers don’t know how long Sparsy was down there. The cavers just happened to be exploring the area when they saved her life.

“Some call it fate, some call it luck, but this was nothing short of a miracle,” the shelter said.

Narrows is a town of about 2,000 people near the border of West Virginia.

This story was originally published July 11, 2024 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Cavers find ‘living miracle’ 50 feet underground in Virginia. ‘There’s a dog down here’."