Missouri cave divers save dog trapped in cave for nearly two months

Cave divers in Missouri rescued a dog they say had been missing for two months.

Rick Haley was at a caving project in Perry County in southeastern Missouri with other cave divers when one group discovered the missing dog.

"The dog was not in good shape," Haley said in a Facebook post. "We package the dog in a duffel bag with her head sticking out. This was to protect her and the rescuers as she would likely struggle."

Haley and a fellow cave diver then facilitated the rescue of the dog, who he said "was totally cooperative."

"We moved her 500 feet to a very tight, awkward, vertical climb, handing her hand to hand upward to the surface," Haley said. "She was happy to be out!"

Haley said the dog's owner claimed her and said she had been missing since June 9.

A commenter on Haley's Facebook post asked how the dog ended up in the cave in the first place.

"I know there’s been an awfully lot of water run through this cave since June," Haley said in response.

When the commenter asked whether the dog was swept into the cave during a flood, Haley responded, "could be."