Two Labradors rescued from quarry one month after going missing

Two Labradors rescued by the RSPCA from a Nuneaton Quarry after one month on the run have been reunited with their owners - thanks to their microchips.

Two-year-old sisters, Poppy and Bella, went missing on 28 July while out walking with their owner Mrs Paula Wright. The dogs were off the lead by the Coventry Canal when they disappeared. The frantic family searched for their dogs and visited local vets but to no avail.

The RSPCA received a call one-month later about two black Labrador dogs, which were trapped down a Quarry at Tuttle Hill, Nuneaton. The dog’s barking alerted staff to their dangerous predicament.

The weak dogs were lying under a bush when RSPCA inspectors Steve Morrall and Jonathan Ratcliffe absailed down the Quarry to rescue them. Inspector Morrall said: “The dogs were in a really awkward place and were well and truly trapped. We think they probably lost their footing and fell down the face of the Quarry. They could have been there for a number of days as they were both extremely dehydrated and hungry but incredibly were otherwise uninjured.”

“We were absolutely thrilled to find out Bella and Poppy were microchipped. More often than not we pick up injured or stray animals and they are not chipped so we have no way of knowing who they belong to. We were able to phone up their owners to tell them their dogs were alive and well and had been rescued about a mile and a half from home.”

“I want to say I big thank you to staff at C A Blackwell Contracts Limited for their co-operation and help at the scene” said inspector Morrall.

“The fact that we have Poppy and Bella home really goes to show that microchipping works,” said delighted owner Paula Wright. “I am really grateful to the RSPCA for rescuing them and to everyone who was looking out for the dogs. We were astonished to hear what happened to them and it is fantastic to have them home.“

“They were thin, hungry and a bit jumpy when they first came home but their overall condition was good and I believe that they kept each other going when they were missing. We had Poppy and Bella chipped when they were puppies and I would recommend it to every pet owner,” said Mrs Wright.