Latest news with #badgersett
Telegraph
05-08-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Dog rescued after four days trapped in badger sett
A dog has been rescued after it became stuck in a badger sett for four days. Multiple attempts to rescue Sherlock, a Lakeland terrier, involved gamekeepers, the fire service, drones and other dogs wearing trackers. Mandy McGrath, Sherlock's owner, was on a walk at Bampton's Ridgeway Woods, near Carlisle, when the dog chased a rabbit, and headed out of sight. The four-year-old dog ran into a badger sett, and ended up 6 feet below ground, where it remained for four days until it was rescued with the help of a dog called Shrek. Mike McGrath, Mandy's husband, told The Telegraph that they initially believed Sherlock may have just run off chasing something 'a little more interesting than a stick'. However, they began to think Sherlock was underground when his collar GPS lost signal. A search ensued, explained Mr McGrath, and they discovered 'a number of holes, maybe four' which they realised were 'entrances to a large badger sett'. The community were quick to lend a hand, with Sherlock's half brother, George, being deployed in an attempt to 'sniff out' the dog. A drone was sent up to scan the area and scent dogs were used, but as time went by, the McGrath's became more convinced that Sherlock was underground. With the help of a local gamekeeper, the couple contacted the RSPCA to check if the badger sett was empty. As, if it was clear, it would enable them to call the fire service for assistance. The local fire service also got involved with thermal imaging cameras to try and see if Sherlock was underground, but had no luck locating the dog. Next to help, gamekeepers sent another terrier into the inactive sett, wearing a tracker that Mr McGrath said was 'similar to the ones they use in avalanches', which would enable those on the surface to see where the dogs were inside the sett. Mr McGrath said that watching the search go on for a number of days left him with a 'sense of despair'. He added: 'I couldn't help, I couldn't do anything'. He explained that the help of the gamekeeper, who dug another hole nearby Sherlock's last known location, was likely vital to keeping the dog alive. Mr McGrath told the BBC: 'Had that not been done, we might have been too late because of the tightness of the hole.' He said he believes Sherlock likely got stuck in the hole when chasing a rabbit, and became unable to turn around and exit. The eventual rescue, on day four of the search, was prompted by Gordon Bottomley, a volunteer with the North Yorkshire Fell and Moorland Working Terrier Club. Mr Bottomley brought ten of his thirteen dogs to the Carlisle woodlands and he sent his own terrier, named Shrek, into the sett. Those on the surface heard two dogs barking, indicating that Shrek had found Sherlock, and Gordon dug down into the sett to retrieve the missing dog. Mr Bottomley told the BBC: 'To see someone's beloved pet come out and their reaction – the grin was from ear to ear.' He explained: ' The terrier is the only dog that will go below ground and seek out vermin and that's why, over hundreds of years, they've been bred for that purpose.' Mr McGrath said the effort of their community had been 'extraordinary', adding: 'You suddenly find out just how interested people are in helping, particularly those who've got dogs and are familiar with the kind of feelings you might have.' Sherlock is now back home, and Mr McGrath said the dog is doing 'much better now'.
BBC News
05-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Dog trapped underground for four days in Brampton rescued
A dog trapped for four days in a badger sett was reunited with its owners after a search involving drones, firefighters, search dogs and McGrath was walking her Lakeland terrier Sherlock at Brampton's Ridgeway Woods, near Carlisle, when she lost sight of him as he chased a he was stuck underground, she called her husband Mike for help, sparking a long search operation involving a Middlesbrough-based rescuer."The hardest thing to deal with was that you've got this little thing who's entirely dependant on you to help them and take care of them. I was unable to do any of that for those four days and it's absolutely heartbreaking," said Mr McGrath. It took countless attempts to locate the terrier before he was freed last week from the inactive badger set, 6ft (1.8m) Bottomley from Middlesbrough, a volunteer with the Fell and Moorland Terrier Club, managed to find and safely extricate Sherlock, with help from his own terrier Shrek who is trained to search. "To see someone's beloved pet come out and their reaction - the grin was from ear to ear," said Mr Bottomley, who owns 12 terriers and volunteers for the club which specialised in underground search and rescue of working dogs."The terrier is the only dog that will go below ground and seek out vermin and that's why, over hundreds of years, they've been bread for that purpose," Mr Bottomley and Mrs McGrath were relieved their pooch, which they have owned for four and a half years, had survived the of the couple were initially drafted in to look for Sherlock, using drones and their own dogs to help look around the area where his tracker last detected him above wasn't until a day later that they managed to get a vet out to confirm the badger sett where they believed he was trapped was inactive - a requirement for firefighters to be able to despite using a thermal imaging camera, the fire service also struggled to detect the terrier. On the third day of the search, a hole was dug near Sherlock's last known location after the gamekeepers' dog, fitted with a special tracker, made another attempt at finding proved to be a vital move as, although Sherlock was not found there, it provided ventilation to the terrier a few feet away, which rescuers said was likely to have kept him alive."Had that not been done, we might have been too late because of the tightness of the hole," Mr McGrath said Sherlock likely got his face stuck in the hole while chasing a rabbit and became unable to turn around or backtrack due to the sandy added: "Claustrophobia is my worst nightmare, so I wasn't sleeping well, I know my wife wasn't sleeping well."Their efforts were followed on social media by the couple's friends around the world, from South Africa to Australia, as well as worried locals who joined the search."It's extraordinary," Mr McGrath said."You suddenly find out just how interested people are in helping, particularly those who've got dogs and are familiar with the kind of feelings you might have." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
