03-06-2025
Woman, dog pulled from ‘Blood Bucket'
The skatebowl at the Mornington Skatepark, known as the "The Blood Bucket". Photos: Gregor Richardson
Retrieved from skateboard bowl: One woman, one dog, one ball.
Firefighters were called to the Mornington skatepark about 11.30am yesterday after a game of fetch went wrong leaving a woman and her dog stuck in a skatebowl known as "The Blood Bucket".
Fished from the skatebowl by Dunedin firefighters in Mornington yesterday was Cassie (left) and her 8-year-old dog Ruby.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said the pair were rescued using a ladder — the firefighters did not jump down themselves to prevent more people also getting trapped inside.
"Got her, and the dog, as well as the ball that was the main instigator to start with, out and sent them on their way," she said.
The woman, named Cassie, said she became stuck in the skatebowl after her 8-year-old dog Ruby chased the ball into the hole while playing a game of fetch.
Ruby with the ball that caused the chaos to unfold.
She was unable to get herself and the dog out and made a call to firefighters who promptly showed up to fish them out.
The bowl was slippery due to rain and covered in dirt, and was lined with broken glass at the bottom, making a running start out of the bowl very difficult.
