Happy ending to eight-hour rescue mission retrieving Troon dog stuck 8ft inside fox den

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mischievous pup has been reunited with his family in a happy ending to an eight-hour rescue mission in Troon on Monday. One-year-old Patterdale Terrier Murdo is resting up after his ordeal which saw him trapped over 8ft inside a fox den in woodland near to Troon Cemetery.Little Murdo bolted off in pursuit of a fox while on his usual walk with owners Stephen Watters, 58, daughter Amy, 18, and their other dog Haggis, a nine-year-old Border Terrier.It quickly became clear that Murdo was stuck deep inside the rabbit warren turned fox den, and after several attempts of trying to coax him out, Stephen decided to call the fire service.Emergency responders quickly arrived to the scene, including two fire engines from both Troon community fire station and Kilmarnock, a special incident truck and police to help with traffic flow at the site.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.

Stephen, from Troon, told Ayrshire Live: “We could hear him for the first 20 minutes and then we couldn’t hear him, so we thought the worst had happened.” After three hours of digging, a special camera used by the fire service picked up what looked like a dog, alive and moving, about 8ft down the tunnel.However, Stephen was in for a shock when he offered his help to retrieve the furry friend.He said: “One of the firemen got down and managed to grab the tip of the tail, but the dog was moving away