A canine that wedged herself under a Riverside home to escape neighborhood fireworks and became stuck for two days was back with her owners Wednesday, recovering from the ordeal.
The black Labrador retriever, named Midnight, darted out of her owners’ home in the 3400 block of Franklin Avenue when fireworks erupted after the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship win Sunday night, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
Animal Control Officer Michael Cox said the petrified canine plowed through a protective screen leading to crawlspace beneath the house and clawed inward until she became jammed under a load-bearing wood beam.
“It was as if she had burrowed a spot for herself, but she had actually entrapped herself,” he said. “That’s the magnitude of just how scared she was from the fireworks.”
The family who owns the black Lab had no idea what had happened to her until they heard whimpering on Tuesday, tracing it to directly beneath the kitchen floor.
They called Animal Services, and Cox headed to the location. Along with one of the family members, he crawled under the house and soon realized that the dog was stuck.
Midnight initially resisted any help as Cox began pulling her front legs to free her, but the family member started pushing at the same time, and the dog turned cooperative.
“It took us a few minutes, and there was a lot of dirt kicked around,” Cox said. “Even with flashlights, the visibility was very low. But the good news is, we were finally able to nudge her from her spot, and she crawled out of the hole into the arms of her very relieved and happy family.”
The dog was not physically injured, but was thirsty and starved. She is under the care of her owners and expected to be fine, according to agency spokesman John Welsh.