Dog rescued from 20ft well after 'Scooby-Doo' howl

Piper was located by drone near her home in Colston Bassett

A five-hour search for a missing Great Dane ended when she let out a "Scooby-Doo-like" howl from the depths of a deep well.

Piper strayed from home, a farm in Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire, on Wednesday night.

Owners Paul Ross and his partner called in Drone to Home, a national animal rescue charity, after the couple failed to find their beloved pet.

Rescuer Phil James packed the drone away but said he heard a sudden, "Scooby Doo-like howl" in the distance, and Piper was found unscathed down a 6m (20ft) well.

Piper, a two-year-old Great Dane, called out from a well she had become trapped inside

Mr James and Mr Ross searched until the early hours, with the help of a drone, which managed to pick up what Mr James said was a "small heat source" in nearby woodland.

Piper had fallen into the well, which Mr James said was about 20ft-deep, and had been stuck for hours, standing on her back legs.

"She was so lucky because although the well wasn't full, a smaller dog would have drowned," Mr James said.

Mr Ross said he had to be lowered into the well to lift out 7st (44kg) Piper and the water came up to his chest.

Piper and the family's other pet dog often wander the grounds of the farm, but Mr Ross said it was "unusual" for her to have strayed.

"We called Drone to Home and [Mr James] was here so promptly it was unbelievable. He worked absolutely diligently as well," Mr Ross said.

Mr Ross said he and his family were "so lucky" Piper was found

Mr James was on his way home from rescuing a horse when the call came in at around 20:00 BST.

"Being an ex-police officer, I tend to ask a lot of questions and from what the owners said, we knew the dog would have been stuck somewhere," Mr James said.

Mr James used a drone to search across fields of the surrounding countryside but Piper - who is 6ft (1.8m) long - was nowhere to be seen.

"It was getting to about half-eleven last night and I was about to go and said I'd come back in the morning," Mr James said.

"But something was not quite right, something was niggling me.

"As I got the drone out again, I heard an almost Scooby-Doo-like howl - it was almost comical - it was coming from quite far away," the rescuer said.

Piper was lifted out of the well wrapped in Mr James' coat

After returning home with Piper, Mr Ross said: "[Mr James] just wasn't going to give up and for that we are so grateful.

"The whole community - neighbours, people in the village, people I hadn't seen in months - were wishing us luck and coming out helping. We were so lucky to have found her."

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