Rescuers seek to free dog from cave

SWEETMANS CREEK, Australia, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Rescuers said Wednesday they were working frantically to free an Australian boy's beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel from a cave.

The dog, Scooby, is deaf and had been missing from his New South Wales home since Sunday, prompting his owner, 6-year-old Jack Newton of Sweetmans Creek, to believe his loyal friend was dead. But whimpering coming from a cave under 100 tons of rock triggered a rescue effort, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph reported.

Special teams from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty were dispatched to the site, and using high-tech cameras, they located the spaniel trapped about 20 feet behind a rock wall.

Mini-jackhammers were being used to free Scooby, but concerns were rising over the possibility of a cave-in, RSPCA Inspector Slade Macklin told the newspaper.

The rescue team reportedly said it would try to free the dog again Thursday.