Deaf, blind dog rescued from Frederick, MD sinkhole
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Dana Hedgpeth, The Washington Post:
A 14-year-old deaf and blind dog was rescued Sunday from a sinkhole in Frederick.
More than 25 rescue workers from at least five different departments in the area spent seven hours trying to rescue the dog — a Lhasa Apso named Samantha. She fell into the hole, which rescue officials said was roughly two feet wide and eight feet deep, while walking with her owner in a grassy area near Old Farm Road and Wainwright Court.
Samantha was reportedly pacing back and forth in the hockey stick shaped hole for roughly seven and a half hours. The sinkhole is about eight feet and projects outward about two feet, according to Battalion Chief Mike Dmuchowksi.
Although Samantha, who is also blind and deaf, is reportedly in good condition now, getting her out of the sinkhole took a lot of work from Frederick City Public Works, several fire rescues, police, animal control and the Frederick County Advance Technical Rescue.
Officials initially dug by hand but after 45 minutes used a backhoe to expedite the process.
After the ordeal, Samantha was taken to the clinic for a bath and x-ray. Geary is delighted to be reunited with her dog.
Danielle E. Gaines, The Frederick News-Post:
Rescuers included members of nearby fire companies, the Fort Detrick Special Operations Unit, regional fire and rescue officials, Frederick County Advanced Technical Rescue, Frederick Department of Public Works, and Frederick County Animal Control.
The sinkhole was about 3 feet by 12 feet and formed in the area of basketball courts near Old Farm Drive and Wainwright Court and did not directly affect housing or the road. A portion of Old Farm Drive was closed for several hours during the rescue effort.
Chief Rodney Masser, of the Independent Hose Co. Station No. 1, said the rescue effort was complicated because of the geology of the hole, which formed between two large pieces of rock, he said.
