Dogs saved from muddy demise by Alicante officers

The terrified animals tried to bite the officer who climbed down after them

Local police in El Campello, Alicante, have rescued three dogs that were trapped in a flooded underground drainage chamber, where they would otherwise have been certain to die.

The animals were fighting to survive, as they were half buried in mud and only their little heads and part of their bodies were poking above the surface, a town hall spokesperson explained on Friday.

It is not known how long they had been down there but they were showing clear signs of hypothermia so the three officers at the scene acted quickly and, with great difficulty, managed to get the dogs out without harming them.

The animals were very shocked and the two smallest ones became very agitated when they saw the officers’ hands reaching down towards them.

They even repeatedly tried to bite the officer who climbed down into the pit to save them.

Eventually, once the dogs had been extracted, they were put into the van and taken to the police station, where they were fed and given fresh water, and it was found that one of them had an identification microchip.

This enabled the officers to contact its owner, who claimed to be surprised and worried that the animal had escaped from the field where it lives. He said he was away on a trip but immediately contacted his son to come and collect it.

The police noted that this dog was up to date with its vaccinations, while the other two, which were Dachshund cross breeds, did not have microchips so the local animal protection service was called to take them to the municipal shelter.

The officers said this was one of those occasions when their work is especially gratifying.

Image: Ayuntamiento de El Campello