Great Dane pup Mudge saved from old well in Wake County

A Great Dane puppy was rescued by firefighters Saturday afternoon after she fell into a 40-foot well on her family's property.

Janine Haldane told WRAL News her family adopted Mudge and sister Moonshine from a breeder.

"We have made trails all over the property, and the dogs, they just love to run on the trails, and they always come back," she said.

Haldane said her son Henry was first to suspect the dog had fallen into an old well on the property.

The Haldanes, worried for their children and dogs, had covered the well with barbed wire.

"We found a deer there one day, and it didn't make it. So we thought, let's barbwire the whole thing around so nobody can get in it," she remembered.

Yet, Mudge did.

Once they approached the well, the Haldanes could hear Mudge barking.

They called 911, and first responders from Cary, Fairview and Swift Creek fire departments came to the rescue.

The Cary Fire Department even posted about Mudge on Facebook.

"To have her come out and ... lick the guy's face that pulled her out of the hole, like, wow. It was really special," Haldane said.

It took hours for the firefighters to rig the ropes they used to pull Mudge to the surface.

"They had to bring that tripod situation with all the climbing harnesses and everything to get down there. So, it was quite a feat," she said.

A firefighter even climbed down into the well to give 110-pound Mudge a boost.

"They did all of this for my dog, and she is part of our family, truly, so God bless them," Haldane said.

Through it all, the family kept watch with a neighbor who owns a veterinary clinic. She was on standby in case Mudge needed some medical treatment, but she emerged with just a small scratch on her ankle.