The firefighters of Sdis 65 saved the life of Nova, a small Dachshund dog stuck for 36 hours in a marmot hole, this Monday, June 4 in Cauterets. Its owners salute the commitment of the firefighters.
The relief is immense for the family of Nova, a little five-year-old Dachshund dog, trapped in a marmot burrow in the Cauterets sector since Saturday June 2. Thanks to the intervention of the firefighters, Nova was released from this bad situation on Monday morning after 36 hours of anguish.
“We were coming back from a trip to Lake Ilhéou at the end of the Saturday afternoon when Nova escaped”, says still moved Pierrette, who came from Brittany to spend a few days of vacation in Cauterets with the family, and whose nephew gave him custody of Nova. “When we untied her to get her into the car parked in the Cambasque car park, she was frightened by a herd of cows nearby and ran into the mountains. The family members try to catch up with her, in vain. Then begins a real ordeal.
Evaporated in nature
The family cannot bring themselves to leave without the dog. Her name resounds in the massif, but she seems to have evaporated. “We searched for it relentlessly and recovered a flashlight to continue at night,” continues Pierrette. When suddenly, under a large rock, barking is heard. “There, we understood that she was underground and thought that she would come out on her own. But the hours pass without Nova resurfacing.
“We stayed near the rock for a good part of the night. Until Pierrette and her loved ones grasped the seriousness of the situation. “We no longer knew what to do,” says Cédric, another member of the Breton family. “We went to the Tourist Office to carry posters in case walkers saw Nova in the mountains. »
Sunday morning, the whole family returns to the rock, but Nova is no longer barking. “I took a pebble and hit the ground. That must have woken her up and she answered. But she seemed weak. The day passes, the sky darkens. On the advice of the villagers, the Bretons end up contacting the fire brigade. “We didn’t dare bother them about that. We felt very guilty. However, as soon as the alert was received, the Cauterets firefighters took Nova’s case very seriously.
storm and despair
A first team of rescuers from Cauterets, reinforced by the Sdis65 veterinarian, Commander Nicolas Pieri, went to the site. “The female was in a marmot hole,” says Commander Pieri. Only the storm bursts in Cambasque, and the lightning threatens dangerously to fall. Decision is taken to stop the intervention and to return the next morning.
Nova was stuck for 36 hours in a groundhog hole
“When we came back, we were more worried. The dog squealed and was less heard. The eleven firefighters mobilized on the spot, including four members of the clearing rescue team, dig with pickaxes for two hours. Until reaching Nova, dehydrated, but alive!
“She was scared. We gave her food and drink and then she was able to find her owners,” concludes the veterinarian. A real relief for Pierrette and her relatives, who want to salute the dedication of the firefighters, but also the involvement of the mayor and the technical services of the town.
