California Firefighters Rescue Blind Dog from Construction Site After Pet Falls into Deep Hole

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
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This image provided by the Pasadena Fire Department showing firefighters pose with a Cesar a blind dog that was rescued from a hold in Pasadena, Calif. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022.
This image provided by the Pasadena Fire Department showing firefighters pose with a Cesar a blind dog that was rescued from a hold in Pasadena, Calif. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022.

Pasadena Fire Department

A 13-year-old blind dog from California is safe after falling into a hole at a construction site near his home.

Pasadena firefighters rescued Cesar after he stumbled into the 15-foot-deep by 3-foot-wide hole on Tuesday.

"The dog was blind," Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin told ABC7. "This is a construction zone. Confined space rescues are low-frequency and high-risk. There are a lot of steps we need to do to make it as safe as possible. For not just the dog, but also our rescuers."

According to the outlet, a search and rescue team member was lowered into the hole with ropes and pulleys. After about 12 minutes, Cesar was secured to a harness and brought to the surface.

A video posted by the Pasadena Fire Department shows the final moments of Cesar's rescue.

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Cesar's owner, a woman named Mary who declined to give her last name, said she was alerted to her dog's accident when her other dog began barking. After she heard the barking and realized Cesar was not in her yard, which is adjacent to the construction site, she called for help.

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According to the Pasadena Fire Department's Twitter, once rescuers arrived at the construction site, it took "roughly 13 minutes" to free Cesar from the hole. The dog returned to ground level with no injuries from his fall.

Augustin and his team welcomed the happy outcome.

"It always makes us feel good," he said. "At the end of the day, all of us are pet lovers. I have a dog of my own. We want to make sure we take care of not just our residents but also our furry friends."