Family Reunited With Missing Dog Found In Cave After Two Months
One day, Abby, the family’s cherished dog, went missing. Despite their best efforts to find her, she was nowhere to be found.
Two months later, a group of cavers stumbled upon a surprising discovery during their work, leading to Abby’s joyful reunion with her family.
One Of Their Dogs Was Missing
One morning, Jeff Bohnert woke up early to walk his two dogs, Summer and Abby. But only Summer greeted him at the front door. Abby was missing.
He remembered the two dogs had gone out to play the previous afternoon. Being a thirteen-year-old dog, Jeff worried Abby might have succumbed to the heat, as it had been a particularly hot day.
Jeff and his wife, Kathy, tried everything to find her. They knocked on neighbors’ doors and posted pictures of Abby on Facebook.
Unfortunately, their efforts seemed in vain.
An Unusual Find Underground
Almost two months later, on August 6, 2022, a group of cavers from the Cave Research Foundation were exploring the Missouri Moore Cave System. This team of 30 people, including five children with their dads, aimed to map out caves for an upcoming event.
Led by experienced caver Frank Keene, the task was routine until one boy shouted, “Daddy, there’s a puppy!”
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At first, the adults dismissed it, but the boy’s persistence paid off.
At the bottom of a 12-foot pit, they found a motionless dog. Despite the shock, Frank and another team member, Rick Haley, quickly decided to rescue the weak and exhausted animal.
Everyone To The Rescue
Frank took a picture of the dog and left the cave to seek help for the vertical rescue. He contacted his friend, Assistant Fire Chief Rob Calhoun, who then tried to find the dog’s owner. After showing the picture to several neighbors, one man recognized the dog and knew her owner.
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Meanwhile, in the cave, Haley and Keene prepared for the rescue. They realized they had to lift her through the narrow opening she had fallen through.
The dog was too weak to walk, but Haley had an idea. He grabbed an empty duffle bag, lined it with a fluffy blanket, and placed it next to the dog. She climbed in, almost falling asleep, clearly comforted by the blanket after lying on cold stone for so long.
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With the dog inside the bag, Haley and Keene began the challenging process of lifting her out.
“I’d hand her up, he’d set her down, he’d move up, then I’d move up, then we’d hand her up again,” Haley explained.
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After nearly 90 minutes, they finally reached the top. Assistant Fire Chief Calhoun took the duffle bag and carried the dog into daylight.
A Long-Awaited Reunion With Abby
“She must have fallen into a sinkhole or a hidden entrance,” Jeff Bohnert said with tears of joy, holding Abby, who had been missing for almost three months.
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Their daughter, Rachel, away at college, was ecstatic when she heard the news.
A week after the rescue, Haley saw Abby and her owners again. Kathy mentioned they were gradually increasing Abby’s food intake to help her regain her strength.
Though still thin and weak, Abby had the strength to bark, a sound Haley had not heard since rescuing her from the cave. “She’ll be okay!” Haley said with a proud smile.
