Animal rescue volunteers in England rushed to the aid of a dog after receiving reports that it was stuck in a ditch, only to find that it was a statue.
But the staff members from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue did not criticise the incident as a waste of their time. Instead, they thanked those who reported the sighting of the ‘canine’.
They went to Thorpe Park in Lincolnshire on March 3 after the organisation received “multiple consecutive reports” of a dog stuck in a ditch.
As the volunteers headed to the site, located near Cleethorpes beach, another team simultaneously discussed its rescue plan with a local group specialising in lost pets.
“On arrival, we were thankful to hear... It was a statue! A statue that had already been rescued by an on-site member of staff,” Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said on its Facebook page.
It posted a picture of the life-like 60cm stone statue of a spaniel in the ditch, and another picture of the statue after its retrieval.
“Thank you to those who reported with good intent, and thank you to our water rescue volunteers for their immediate response – on scene and ready to go in less than 20 minutes!” the organisation added.
The public was full of praise for the group, which provides rehabilitation for injured wildlife.
“Thank goodness, it looked so real in the original photo, well done to the person who reported it, they must’ve been mortified,” said Ms Sally Johnson, commenting on the post.
Ms Janey Bugg noted that it was “amazing” that so many people “scrambled” to check out the report and “in such a short space of time too”.
Another commenter, with the handle PickWalks_GY, quipped: “Actually quite a cute statue. Is he for sale?”
Britain’s loneliest sheep gets a new look and forever home after rescue from cliff
Puppy saves English man’s life by chewing his toe ‘to the bone’
Unlock unlimited access to ST exclusive content, insights and analyses
ST One Digital - Annual
$9.90 $4.95 /month
Get offer
$59.40 for the first year and $118.80 per year thereafter.
ST One Digital - Monthly
29.90 $9.90 /month
Subscribe today
No lock-in contract
Unlock more knowledge, unlock more benefits
New feature: Stay up to date on important topics and follow your favourite writers with myST All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on one mobile device
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Britain Animal welfare Volunteering
Facebook Telegram More Whatsapp Linkedin Twitter FB Messenger Email Print Purchase Article Copy permalink https://str.sg/zL7S
Read this subscriber-only article for free!
Just sign up for a free account and log in to continue reading.
Rescuers in England race to save dog stuck in ditch, turns out it’s a statue
Sign up
Already have an account? Log in.
All done! This article is now fully available for you
Rescuers in England race to save dog stuck in ditch, turns out it’s a statue
Read now
Please verify your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full
Rescuers in England race to save dog stuck in ditch, turns out it’s a statue
Resend verification e-mail
The gift link for this subscriber-only article has expired.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
You have reached your limit of subscriber-only articles this month.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
Read and win!
Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions
Good job, you've read 3 articles today!
Spin the wheel now
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions