Missing Dog Found In Missouri Cave, Divers Say Canine 'Was In Bad Shape'

Missouri cave divers, who planned on mapping out a cave, ended up rescuing a dog that had been missing for nearly two months.

Recreational cave diver Rick Haley was joined by a group of fellow enthusiasts on Aug. 6 to map a cave for the Cave Research Foundation.

However, one of the groups noticed the missing dog, which prompted a unique rescue mission. Upon the discovery, Haley exited the cave to find another diver and contact the fire department.

"Glad you're here," the fire chief told Haley. "You can help us do a dog cave rescue."

Haley and the other caver diver, Gerry Keene, had to crawl and squeeze through tight spaces to reach the dog. In a Facebook post, Haley noted that the dog was in rough condition.

"The dog was not in good shape," he posted.

Haley revealed the dog was "lethargic" and hesitant to move.

"She didn't seem to have any injuries," Haley said. "But boy, she was really malnourished. She was skin and bones. She had mud on her."

Although the dog was "totally cooperative" with the cave divers, the rescue took over an hour.

"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 explained.

"We moved her 500 feet to a very tight, awkward, vertical climb, handing her hand to hand upward to the surface."

Following the rescue, the 13-year-old dog named Abby was claimed by her owner, who revealed the canine had been missing since June 9.

It's unclear how Abby ended up in the cave, but Haley suggested recent flooding could have pushed her to the deep location.

While Haley's rescue training doesn't cover dogs, he revealed "many of the same principles that you would use for a person you can use for a dog."

On Sunday, Haley shared an update on the dog's recovery by posting a photo of himself and Abby. "One week out..she's making a comeback," he captioned the photo.