A German shepherd named Indy that spent hours at the bottom of a hole nearly 60 feet deep in South Bay on Wednesday afternoon before being pulled to safety by firefighters managed to elude serious injury, the property owner told NBC on Thursday.
Vince Carrillo, the owner of the property on Vista Drive, said he had no idea that the hole — which turned out to be a vertical pit septic system, a county spokesperson said — existed before Indy's scary fall. On Thursday, he told NBC 7 that Indy was doing well and did not suffer any broken bones in the incident. The day after, though, the animal was still in shock, Carrillo said.
Indy, a 9-year-old German shepherd, returned to the surface with a few cuts and covered in mud, but was alive and alert when he was loaded onto a canvas sheet and carried away for an exam by a veterinarian.
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The Fight to Rescue Indy
A call for help was first put out to firefighters at around 2:30 p.m. By 3 p.m., a large group of rescuers from the Bonita and San Miguel fire departments congregated at the scene with a ladder from a hook-and-ladder truck extended above them. Around 4:45 p.m., firefighters utilized a pulley affixed to it, then dropped a rope down the hole and attempted to use it to lasso Indy around his neck to bring him up. Thirty minutes later, their efforts had been fruitless, and Indy was still marooned underground.
The firefighters were prevented from going down the hole due to OSHA regulations, and they wouldn't let Indy's owner, Mark Pugh, who is a Navy veteran, go down for him, either.
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"They wouldn't let me put on a harness and go get him, so ... [I'm a military veteran] I've done more stuff than that," Pugh said, waiting anxiously as rescuers worked to save Indy.
Firefighters had to worry about possible injuries to Indy, plus possible injuries to their crew if the vertical septic leak system — which was hidden by brush before Indy was investigating it and slipped — were to cave in, with recent rains in December and January increasing that threat.
"You couldn't put any personnel down into that situation," firefighter Ken Gilden said. "You couldn't put anybody down there. The ground was too unstable, there was no way to shore it up."
The septic system was unpermitted, which is not uncommon as the permitting system did not exist before 1978.
Rescue efforts were also complicated by the fact that the hole didn't go straight down, and the fact that Indy had to look up at firefighters in order for them to loop their rope around his neck. Also worrisome: Firefighters were fighting against the darkness. By 6 p.m., night had descended.
Carillo, the owner of the property since about 18 months ago, told NBC 7 he was unaware of the hole in his yard, which has a concrete pad around it. Scary, considering he has three small children and a dog of his own. He said he rents out part of his large property for dog owners who want to give their pups a space to run.
He said before Wednesday's incident, he had booked around 120 different dog owners on his lot.
When firefighters finally secured Indy on rope excitement at the scene began to ramp up. Rescuers began hoisting Indy and had him above the surface within seconds.
Immediately after the rescue, Pugh told NBC 7 his pup seemed to be doing OK. He said he's had Indy for about four years, and also has Indy's half-sister. The siblings were playing in the yard before Indy fell down the hole.
The Mysterious Hole
Even before Indy was rescued, Carrillo was puzzled.
”I was completely taken aback, like, 'Where’s the hole?' Because it was completely covered," Carrillo said.
Carrillo had no idea it even existed, and neither did his three young children or bulldog. He bought the home nearly two years ago as-is. That hole, about 60 feet deep, was an old septic system covered by overgrown grass.
”Out of all this property — these kids have played all throughout this 1.69 acres,Carrillo said. "They’ve never stepped foot on that corner edge over there.”
Indy came to be on the property via an app called Sniffspot, which gives homeowners the chance to rent out their yards to dog owners, for a fee. Dozens of dogs have roamed the property over the past several months, but none had an experience like Indy.
”Poor guy," Carrillo said. "He was in such shock, all dirty and messy, just poor animal.”
One day later, work to cover that septic pit was underway. Carrillo said it will be covered by cement so that history doesn't repeat itself.
In the meantime, Carillos said he was happy that Indy walked away from this in one piece and that it wasn't any worse.
”I’m not a big religious guy," Carrillo said, "but I do believe in karma, so I must’ve done something right."
