Watford firefighters rescue 'spooked' dog stuck in gap

Taba injured her paws when she became wedged between a brick wall and conservatory after disappearing from her house

A "spooked" dog jumped out of a first-floor window after hearing fireworks and got stuck between two walls for several hours.

Taba was spotted wedged head-first in a 6in (15cm) gap by a woman in her back garden in Watford.

After efforts by the RSPCA to free the "distressed" pet, Taba was sedated and firefighters used ropes to pull her out in a three-hour rescue operation.

Taba, who suffered "sore paws", has since been reunited with her owner.

RSPCA inspector Rachel Smith put a hook under Taba's collar to stop her disappearing further into the narrow gap

RSPCA inspector Rachel Smith, who helped with the rescue in Oxhey Road, said: "Taba was very lucky to have been found in the first place.

"The lady who called us only found Taba stuck down the side of her conservatory after her cats started to act strangely in the garden.

"Taba, who isn't a small dog, ran into the gap head-first, possibly because she was spooked by fireworks - she barely had room to breathe."

The dog had vanished from her home the day before she was found on 4 November.

Her owners were out when she escaped from an upstairs window on to the roof of a conservatory and wandered off.

Taba had been micro-chipped and was identified and returned - sporting some colourful bandages on her paws - to her owner who had been searching for her.

"She is now at home safe and well and a little more subdued than normal," said Ms Smith.