A scared and wet dog was rescued Monday afternoon from the yard of an abandoned home in Joshua Tree. County Fire Captain John Garber said two 55-gallon barrels were stacked on top of each other, with bottom of the uppermost barrel cut out, and then buried, to create a pit about 6 feet deep; the pit had rocks and about a foot of water at the bottom; presumably gray water from the home was stored in the pit. Somehow, the female Australian shepherd ended up at the bottom of the pit and was unable to get out. She alerted a neighbor to her presence by barking, and the neighbor called about noon Monday for help in rescuing the dog. Fire fighters, Sheriff’s deputies and county animal control officers all responded; due to the tight quarters of the barrels, rescuers were unable to get into the pit to rescue the dog, so animal control used a loop at the end of a pole, which they placed over the dog’s head and pulled her out. Garber said the dog, while frightened and wet, was extremely friendly with all the rescue personnel. She is currently on a 10-day legal hold at the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter while animal control attempts to locate her owner.
