Firefighters Use Jaws of Life to Extract Dog Stuck in N.C. Mountain Culvert: 'It Was Very Scary'

Glenn Garner
·2 min read

A curious Australian shepherd named Gracie is free after getting stuck inside a narrow mountain culvert.

Gracie's owner Becky Rowe Smith from North Carolina isn't sure how long her canine spent stuck in the 25-foot, 15-inch-wide culvert, but she is grateful that firefighters could use their jaws of life to free the dog, according to WLOS.

"It could have happened during the night while we slept, or it might have happened in the early morning hours," Smith said, noting that their other dog Emmie found Gracie. "Emmie was covered from head to toe with mud, though, so I think that she had probably been there for a while, and Emmie must have hung out there with her."

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After discovering Gracie sandwiched between two heavy rocks and realizing that the rock above the dog was in danger of crushing the pup, Smith called the authorities for help saving the canine. The rescue took about three hours, with multiple agencies assisting with the effort, including the Double Island Fire Department and their jaws of life.

Smith took to Facebook after Gracie was free to post photos from the rescue and to thank everyone who helped.

"UPDATE! SHE'S FREE! What a harrowing experience!" she wrote in her post about Gracie's ordeal. "A big thank you to the Yancey County Sheriff's Dept, Double Island Fire Department, and each one of you who prayed for Gracie!"

"She crawled through a 25-foot-long, 15-inch-wide culvert that was blocked on the other side by large rocks," Smith continued. "While waiting for animal control, the fire department brought their Jaws of Life and were able to make a big enough opening through the rocks to pull her out. It was very scary because there was the possibility of the rock above her (which was moving) falling on her and crushing her. Praise God she's safe!!!"

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The gymnastics coach and stay-at-home mom said she drove 14 hours to Nebraska to adopt Gracie after falling in love with a photo of the pup in an "Aussie" group.