Rescuing pooch nets props from PETA

The Alpha Fire Company will receive an award for rescuing Skye, a golden retriever who fell in a sinkhole Feb. 15 at The Arboretum at Penn State.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known as PETA, will give Alpha the Compassionate Fire Department Award.

“These determined firefighters were all that stood between this dog and a slow, lonely, agonizing death,” PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien said in a release. “PETA encourages caring people to take this story as inspiration to come to the aid of animals in need.”

Skye, who was walking with her owner off leash, fell into the sinkhole and was not discovered until two days later.

“We understand we were in the wrong to let her off leash,” Skye’s pet parent Ron Holmes told the Centre Daily Times last week. “She’s so good about staying close, and all of a sudden she was gone.”

Holmes found Skye when she responded to his voice Feb. 17.

Alpha and Penn State police worked together to extract Skye from a 14-foot-deep sinkhole that dropped into a “Volkswagen-buggy” sized space. The police set up large mats around the sinkhole to stabilize the area, and firefighters created a makeshift harness to pull her up.

Alpha Fire Company Assistant Chief of Training and Operations Dennis Harris climbed down into the sinkhole with a ladder and hooked up Skye to the harness to be lifted.

Holmes said a veterinarian gave Skye a clean bill of health after they were reunited.

“She’s doing fine, and the vet said she’s in good shape,” Ron Holmes told the CDT. “I really appreciate efforts of the Alpha Fire Company and campus police. There’s a good thing that comes out of it, I think. That sinkhole got located, and they’ll fill it so no one will fall down it.”

PETA also reminded pet parents to keep dogs on leash during walks.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Rescuing pooch nets props from PETA."