Animal rescuers discover dog in dangerous ditch actually was a statue

March 4 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers rushed to a park in England on a report of a dog stuck in a ditch, but they arrived to find the supposed mud-covered canine was a realistic statue.

Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said in a Facebook post that water rescue volunteers were dispatched to Thorpe Park in the Cleethorpes Beach area after receiving multiple reports of a dog stranded in a muddy ditch.

"While our volunteers deployed to the area, we discussed the case with volunteers at Charlie's Angels Lost and Found Pets about a plan and the location of the animal," the post said.

The rescue team arrived to find the dirty dog was actually "a statue that already had been rescued by an onsite member of staff."

"Thank you to those who reported with good intent, and thank you to our water rescue volunteers for their immediate response -- on scene and ready to go in less than 20 minutes," the post said.