Missing Dog For Almost Two Months Found by Lone Caver 500 Feet Below a Missouri Cave

A missing dog for nearly two months was discovered 500 feet below the Berome Moore cave system in Missouri in early August, according to recent reports. The missing feline survived the ordeal but was in a dire health condition. It was found and rescued by cavers from a spelunking team. Rick Haley, a teacher and recreational caver, spearheaded the rescue operation and reunification of the dog with her owner.

Dog Rescue Operation

(Photo : Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)

Haley, 66, was with a group of around 30 spelunkers working on a project for the Cave Research Foundation. The team was mapping a cave north of the city of Perryville, Missouri, on August 6. It is part of the Berome Moore cave system, which is considered to be the state's second largest cave system with a size of approximately 22 miles, Haley told CNN.

Haley was tasked in the logistics and management of the expedition when the dog was found. The veteran cave rescuer went outside the cave to inform an assistant fire chief from the local fire department regarding the unexpected discovery. He also informed another caver by the name of Gerry Keene. Both of the cavers have sufficient background in specialized cave rescue training.

A separate group of people including parents and children, who visited the cave during the day, had also encountered the same animal before flagging Haley for help.

Haley and Keene had to squeeze through tight passageways to retrieve the dog, who was lifted through a roping system while in a blanket in a duffel bag.

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Potential Causes

The missing 13-year-old dog named Abby went missing from its home on June 9, according to her owner, as cited by the US media outlet. This indicates she likely went missing for almost two months, including doubts on whether she was in the Missouri cave the whole time.

Reports indicate no one knew the exact circumstances which led to her separation from her forever home and cave stranding at such a depth.

Haley told CNN the small dog could have chased an animal like a mouse or raccoon. As an alternative, the cave explorer also looked at the possibility that Abby was forced to retreat to the lower levels of the Berome Moore cave system due to flooding caused by heavy rain.

Berome Moore Cave

Being Missouri's second longest cave, the Berome Moore Cave was discovered in 1961 when cavers noticed an opening at the bottom of a sinkhole in Perry County in the southeastern part of the state, according to the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy.

The cave system consists of 18 miles of passages and more unexplored areas are still being surveyed up until this day.

Due to the complexity of caves, there have been other incidents in the past where both humans or pet animals get stranded inside these natural structures.

In August 2020, a dog which went missing for over three months was found and rescued from a Vancouver Island cave in Canada's British Columbia province, CTV News reports.