Dog stuck underground 'for week'

A dog which was trapped underground for over a week has been rescued after popping her head out of a rabbit hole on a roundabout.

The Jack Russell cross was spotted by council workers from Staffordshire County Council at Gallowstree roundabout in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

She was weighing under half of her normal body weight but is making "good progress", the borough council said.

The dog, which has been named Hope, was found last Thursday.

Borough council dog warden Craig Brown took her to Croft Veterinary Clinic in the town, where it received emergency care.

'Chased rabbit'

Mr Brown said the animal "wasn't given a very good prognosis at first" and was very cold and severely dehydrated.

He said: "It appears that the dog, which is around one-year-old, chased a rabbit into a hole and then got stuck.

"What I would like to see now is Hope reunited with her owner. She isn't microchipped so I would appeal for her owner to contact the borough council."

The dog was seen as the highways team started excavation works as part of an improvement scheme.

A borough council spokesperson said it was believed the dog had been trapped for between about a week to 10 days because of the condition the animal was in when she was found.

Source: BBC