Madison firefighters rescue dog trapped in dry well for 4 days

MADISON — Four-year-old Teddy the rescue beagle lounged in his favorite chair on Thursday. Other than being 2 pounds lighter, there were no other visible sign the small dog had been through a harrowing four-day ordeal.

Teddy fell into a dry well on Maple Avenue and was trapped there for four days as his family and other local residents searched for him, at times right above where he was stuck. 

The rescue dog was re-rescued on Wednesday by the special unit of the borough's fire department after he was heard yelping from inside the dry well situated beneath the rear deck of a nearby residence. 

Once Teddy was located, the Madison Fire Department's Confined Space Unit came to the rescue.

Rescuers had to remove decking material to gain access to the dry well opening. The unit deployed a ladder and ropes to lower a rescuer through a narrow opening to reach the dog.

"My guys did an outstanding job," said Fire Chief Lou DeRosa. "It worked smooth as glass, like clockwork. From the time we started to the time we finished was 40 minutes."

DeRosa said  because Madison operates its own sewer, electric and water utilities, it needed a special unit to respond to any sub-ground emergencies that might put utility workers at risk.

The Madison Confined Space Unit has not had to effect a human rescue in the more than 20 years since it was established, but trains once or twice a year.

"This is what we've been training for," DeRosa said. "This was just a different location. But it worked."

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Teddy's first rescuers adopted him from St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center.

"I was devastated and had started to lose hope yesterday before I got the call," said Ellen Sherwood, who adopted him. 

"They went above and beyond. We were so thankful. I'm sad I wasn't there to give them a hug. They were so professional and caring about all of it," she said of the Madison Fire Department.

Sherwood, who lives with her parents on Maple Avenue, was at work Thursday afternoon when she received a call from her mother letting her know her father had heard Teddy yelping across the street.

"She was hysterical, saying he's in a hole and we can't see him," she said. Sherwood said the last place Teddy was seen was across the street. "We had gone and checked there a couple of times, but didn't see or hear anything. My dad went back just one more time to make sure, and he heard him."

Social media posts and posters hung along Maple Avenue, the Sherwood family's plight galvanized the close-knit community.

"My post and my mom's had been shared over 100 times," Sherwood said. "I was getting messages from people I didn't know on Facebook, saying that they were driving around looking for him. It was incredible."

"I'm no vet but he looked fine," DeRosa said. "He looked relieved to be out of that hole, but he seemed to be OK."

Sherwood is resisting the urge to spoil Teddy, at least for now.

"We're trying to feed him slowly," she said. "The vet said to not go overboard since he hasn't eaten for four days. He'll get some treats. Right now he's just happy to be back on his chair."

Sherwood was told that Teddy was among 10 beagles rescued from a southern state, possibly Tennessee, after they were abandoned and transferred to St. Hubert's. The shelter often takes in large quantities of animals rescued from floods, wildfires and other disaster areas.

"We think he was used for hunting," Sherwood said. "He chases bunnies but doesn't bother with the squirrels."

Nora Parker, goodwill ambassador at St. Hubert’s in Madison, confirmed Teddy was transferred from its WayStation Program sister shelter, Humphrey’s County Humane Society, in Waverly, Tennessee. 

He arrived with a different name: Sarge.

"He was lucky enough to join the Sherwood family a little more than a year ago right after he arrived at St. Hubert’s," Parker said. "We commend the Sherwoods for taking action right away when he became lost, and for not giving up. We applaud the Madison Fire Department for its compassion and amazing response. Clearly they know that animals are family members and deserving of the extra effort they put forth to bring Teddy safely home."

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.