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A family in England was left relieved after discovering their lost dog inside of a storm drain after three days of searching.
The dog, a 10-year-old sprocker spaniel named Ebb, had been forced to remain upright in the water-filled drain the entire time to avoid drowning. Ebb was found up to her chest in water on Tuesday, May 3, according to the BBC.
Ebb ran off from his owner during an early walk on April 30, likely chasing something, but the family wasn't initially too worried. According to son-in-law Michael Cromwell, "she knows the area really well, and it's always been very safe," he told the BBC.
Upon Ebb's failure to return a few hours later, fear began to creep in as she didn't respond to any calls of her name. The family took to social media in a bid to track down the dog. Neighbors helped in the search but they had no luck.
The family, Cromwell told the BBC, has begun to give up hope of Ebb's return, but rejoiced when his wife made a surprising discovery.
"We thought we'd have one last sweep of the perimeter of the field and suddenly my wife started shouting that she had found Ebb," he said.
Ebb had been stuck inside of a 5-foot-deep storm drain, found at the bottom up to her chest in stagnant water.
"She must have been sat upright all that time, as she couldn't lie down or she would have drowned," Cromwell told the BBC.
The family pet was unable to stand after being rescued and was immediately taken to a vet for an overnight stay. Ebb was let home the next day, confirmed by the vet to be exhausted from her ordeal, but after a few days, she returned to normal.
Ebb is one of the lucky ones. In the U.S., one out of three pets become missing at some point in their lifetime, as per the American Humane Association, and it's estimated that less than 23 percent are ever found.
It's a mystery exactly why the pooch didn't respond to her owner's calls, but the family cited her lack of barking in daily life as a potential reason. "She never barks very much, and I think it just didn't compute that she should do that to get our attention," said Cromwell. "She probably heard us and just thought, 'oh good, they're coming,' but it took days for us to find her."
Ebb's story isn't the only time a pup has been found in a surprising place after going missing. In April, a family in Devon, England, discovered their pet trapped inside a rabbit hole after being missing for three days.
The terrier had continued to dig further into the rabbit hole, but ultimately blocked itself in by moving the earth behind it.
Thanks to the help of "earth dogs" and a neighbor who heard its "tiny barks," the dog was freed from the surprising hiding place.
