Gamekeeper goes head first into mud hole to rescue stuck dog

Jazz the Cocker Spaniel was running across a Scottish grouse moor doing what Spaniels are born to do when she suddenly vanished.

The group participating in that day’s grouse hunt and the gamekeepers at Invermark Estate in Angus immediately began searching for the lost pup.

Jazz’s owner Karen DaRosa was able to identify the general area where she and her team had last seen Jazz. Luckily the Invermark gamekeepers know every inch of the extensive grounds. Despite the relatively short hunting season, they work year round maintaining the shelters and ensuring the best conditions for the grouse.

DaRosa had begun to lose hope when the Head Keeper announced he had found her. He was able to locate Jazz just by listening for the sound of the dog’s breathing. She had fallen into a Pipe Hole – a narrow underground peat chamber used for water drainage. Poor Jazz was trapped in the cramped, muddy shaft.

The gamekeepers went straight to work digging away 6 feet of heavy peat mud. One of the men, Jonny Stevensen, then climbed headfirst into the hole and emerged triumphant with a muddy, but happy Jazz! She was miraculously unharmed thanks to the quick response of the heroic gamekeepers.

DaRosa told STV News that not only did Jazz emerge from the ground “happy as punch” she was also “toasty warm” thanks to the insulation from the mud.

Jazz’s mom expressed her gratitude to everybody on the hunt who aided in the search, and especially to the gamekeepers who located her and dug her free. After that I’m guessing they headed home to give Jazz a good bath!

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