Hunting Dog Dies After Getting Trapped In Cave In North Georgia

GILMER COUNTY, GA — Public safety personnel in Gilmer County spent the bulk of Tuesday trying to rescue a hunting dog that got trapped inside a cave in the North Georgia mountains over the weekend, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring the pup to safety.

The dog was hunting with its owners on New Year's Eve when it got trapped in a cave in the Rich Mountain Wilderness in the Chattahoochee National Forest, said Gilmer County Fire Chief Tony Pritchett. Gilmer County is roughly an hour's drive from Atlanta, and best known to many as the site of the annual Georgia Apple Festival of Ellijay.

Pritchett told Patch that his crews weren't notified by the family until Tuesday, Jan. 2 about the dog's plight. A male family member told the fire chief that no other law enforcement agencies were interested in helping them, so Pritchett said he dispatched his specialized rescue team to the area.

The crews went up the mountain to see if they could figure out the dog's exact location in the cave, which Pritchett said was "a long way in." Members of the crew attempted to go inside the cave and send a rope down into the area so they could access the dog. Meanwhile, Pritchett said rocks were falling down on the rescuers, which made the situation more dangerous.

“Even to (sic) their peril they continued to try and make contact with the dog,” he said, adding the situation got to the point where the rescue attempt became "unsafe" for personnel.

The crews came down from the mountain, met with the family member and told them about their unsuccessful rescue efforts. Pritchett said a family member event told authorities "he knew it was not possible" to rescue the pup.

On Wednesday, Pritchett said he notified the Georgia Department of Natural Resources about the incident, and turned the case over to them since the wilderness area is on state and federal property.

“We’ve spent many, many hours up there on Tuesday," he said, adding the crews worked until it was impossible to see anything. “Our guys are absolutely heartbroken over it.”

Following the attempted rescue, the crews placed rocks around the closure so a small child or another animal wouldn't end up in this tragic, frightening situation. Steven Bekkerus, public affairs officer with the U.S. Forest Service, told Patch the dog has passed away. He noted that local public safety personnel did their best to try and safe the family's hunting dog.

“Our sympathies go out to the family and to the folks involved,” he added.

The failed rescue attempt, Pritchett added, led to a firestorm on social media, with many commenters blasting the fire department for its response. Those people, he added, made remarks stating they could rescue the hunting dog within a "few minutes," and even put small children at risk as part of their efforts. This, he said, put his own men and women at risk, as they would have to be ready to respond to another precarious situation.

The Gilmer County Fire & Rescue Department isn't unskilled in rescue attempts such as these. In 2008, an underground mine collapsed, and Pritchett said his team worked to rescue a worker who was trapped hundreds of feet below the surface. He also said they routinely rescue dogs from ravines, cliffs and hand-dug wells.

“This is something we are passionate about, and we try to do everything we can to help," he added.

Image via Shutterstock