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FISHING FOR A DOG!

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A couple took their dog for a walk along local lanes in the countryside near Rojales. Whilst out walking they crossed one of many irrigation canal bridges in the area and heard a noise in the water. They looked down and to their dismay they saw a dog stranded in the canal. Behind the dog there was a large water pipe leading underground, another one leading underground at right angles to this one and straight ahead an open canal with water up to the top of the dogs legs that extended for many kilometres. With the 2 metre high concrete canal walls they quickly surmised there was nowhere that the dog could climb out of the canal. It was trapped. If they did nothing the dog, unable to rest or sleep, would soon collapse with exhaustion and drown in the stagnant canal water so the man tried to persuade the stranded dog to come to him.  Unfortunately, it panicked and disappeared along the open canal, past him and out of reach. There was no way that he could rescue the dog on his own.

 

 

The man remembered his friend Mark, a long term animal welfare volunteer in the La Marina area with the Pets In Spain rescue team. He knew that Mark had rescued dogs from canals on previous occasions. He decided to call him to see if he could help. Mark and his daughter Yvonne immediately agreed to go to the location where the dog was trapped. With their previous experience at canal animal rescues they quickly assembled their home made 'Canal Rescue Kit' consisting of an extendable ladder, large rope net, plastic netting, a canvas sheet, a roll of bamboo fencing and a tin of cat food!

 

 

After meeting up all three of them set off in the car to find the dog again. There are many canals in the area and after driving alongside one, and coming to a dead end, they had to back track and try another route. They eventually found the right canal and sure enough the dog was still there where it had been seen earlier in the day. Mark lowered the ladder into the canal and tried to coax the dog to come to him. However, after 3 attempts, this ended in failure. The dog, terrified, disappeared up one of the two large underground pipes and out of site. It was at this point Mark introduced his secret weapon, the ‘Canal Rescue Kit’.

 

 

 

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The dog was wading a few metres inside one of the pipes. After blocking off the entry to the other pipe with the large rope net and canvas sheet, then blocking the route along the canal itself, Mark opened the tin of cat food and lowered it on some line down to the entrance of the pipe where the dog was, in the hope that the smell of the food would entice it to come toward him. Mark uses wet cat food on dog rescues because it has a stronger aroma than dog food. Whilst he waited patiently, his daughter Yvonne  ran along the lane directly above the hidden underground pipe, she came across a small access hatch and banged on the cover to make a loud noise. This did the trick. Mark heard the dog paddling in the water back towards him. Staying out of sight he felt the tug on the line as the dog reacted to the aroma of the cat food and started to eat it. Slowly and steadily he pulled the suspended tin of food away from the entrance and along the side of the open canal. He continued to feel the tug on the line as the dog was taking the food whilst paddling. When the dog was clear of the pipe the other man quickly blocked it by lowering a weighted plastic netting over the entrance to seal it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Having sealed off both entrances to the large water pipes Mark quickly descended into the canal. The dog, seeing all three escape routes sealed off became confused and bewildered. Mercifully, she did not resist as Mark grabbed hold of her collar and lifted her clear of the water. Getting the dog out of the canal was another difficult task. After a brief discussion with the other man he moved half way down the ladder. Mark then passed the dog to him and he ascended the ladder with the dog in his arms. 

 

Nobody knows how long this dog had been in the canal. She was totally exhausted, her underside was red raw and surely very painfull. 

 

She has been named Coco and was recovering in the courtyard of the local finca where the man and his wife were holidaying. However, a couple of days later the owners of the finca returned and saw the dog. Mark was given just 24 hours to remove Coco from the finca as they did not want her there!

Mark found Coco a foster home. She will remain there until a new and permanent home is found for her.

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UPDATE: COCO HAS FOUND A PERMANENT HOME WITH A COUPLE IN LA MARINA URBANISATION. THEY LOVE HER VERY MUCH. COCO CAN BE SEEN DAILY OUT ON WALKS IN CALLE JUSTO ANTONIO QUESADA NEAR CONSUM SUPERMARKET.

 

 

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