CANINE RESCUE SUCCESSFUL
thespectrum.com
Getting ready to save a dog that’s fallen down a mine shaft sounds scary, but rescue crew
members like Corbin Allred said they jump at the chance to put their skills to
use and save a life.
Buster, Parowan resident Bob Giles’ playful black mutt, fell down a 30-
foot hole, possibly an old mine shaft, in the Parowan red hills west of town Wednesday morning while chasing a rabbit.
Giles and members of the Utah Geological Survey had been in the area, located off a dirt road at the Parowan Gap, when Buster shot off running and didn’t see the hole, Giles said.
“By the time he saw (the hole) it was too late, he was already committed to sliding down in there, and the rocks were so loose, he couldn’t stop himself from sliding,” Giles said, watching while the rescue crew prepared to send Allred into the hole to retrieve Buster.
Within half an hour of harnessing, Iron County Search and Rescue members slowly pulled Allred and the dog out of the deep hole, rocks sliding, Giles helping alongside the crew by tugging the rope back.
“Are you the one who saved him?” Giles asked Allred with a huge grin as the crew released Buster and watched him run, uninjured, around his rescuers. “I’m so, so grateful for all of you for saving him.”
Iron County Sheriff ’s Office Deputy Jeremy Holm said it’s the sheriff ’s call on how and who responds. The 20- person rescue crew started more than three years ago, and has responded to similar calls across the county, including the iron mines and Cedar Mountain.
