Dog rescued after being found trapped between a wall and a shed

A missing dog who found himself trapped in a small gap between a wall and a shed was reunited with his grateful owners after a joint operation to free him.

Tarka, the six-year-old collie, had gone missing while out walking in Okehampton on Wednesday (January 17). Despite desperate attempts to find him, he still hadn’t returned more than six hours later.

As his family continued to look for the dog, a member of the public contacted the RSPCA after unexpectedly spotting it trapped in a small gap between a wall and a shed. RSPCA Inspector Sarah Morris received the call at around 10pm, she battled her way through the wild weather to get to Okehampton to try and free the hapless hound.

She said: “Poor Tarka had been found wedged firmly between a garden wall and a shed. Despite my best efforts I was unable to release him with any of my equipment. 

"With help from the person who found him, I tried to move the shed but we were just too weak so I contacted the Okehampton fire crew who were absolutely brilliant and used a hydraulic ram to push the shed away from the wall.

“We were then able to pull him out of the gap. Thankfully he was wearing a tag and collar with his   owners details and when I called they were thrilled to hear he had been found.

“He was so happy to be released and his owners were delighted to have him back. I arrived back home just after 2am very soggy and muddy but relieved we managed to help poor Tarka.”

Tarka’s owner Fiona Aylen praised those who helped to rescue her beloved dog.

She said: “I’m so grateful to the RSPCA and fire service for everything they’ve done, without their help we may never have found him.

“We’d spent hours looking for him before I had to go to work and my husband continued the search but there was still no sign of him. It was so out of character for him to just disappear like that.

“The funny thing is I’d passed the RSPCA van and fire engine on my way home but never imagined that they were helping Tarka at the time. When we received the call to say he was safe I was over the moon and so happy for the help he’d had from the inspector and retained firefighters. You don’t realise what a great job they all do until you see it in action. Tarka has now recovered and very happy to be back home.”