A beagle fell down a York County well. Rescuers had to 'think outside the box'

A beagle was stuck at the bottom of a York County well for almost an hour Wednesday before Lesslie firefighters freed her.

The beagle was at the bottom of a roughly 25-foot well that was only about 8 inches in diameter, Lesslie Fire Chief Tommy White said.

White said the person who called the department, a neighbor, heard a dog whining before they found the old well near Collins Road and Hall Spencer Road in York County.

“Luckily it was dry,” White said. “But she was down in the bottom of it.”

And the well was too skinny for anyone to reach the dog, White said.

“We were able to think outside the box a little bit and come up with a plan,” he said.

The volunteer firefighters reached the dog with a long pole that had a hook on the end. They hooked the dog’s collar and pulled her out after 20 minutes.

The dog had probably been in the well about 30 minutes before they arrived, White said.

The dog’s owner lived nearby, White said.

“She was happy to get her dog back,” he said. “She was worried about that dog.”

And so was White. He said a happy ending was more than he expected when he arrived.

“If it wouldn’t have been for the collar, I don’t know that we would’ve been able to get the dog out,” he said.

This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 1:37 PM.