Retired police K-9 rescued after falling down 40-foot well in Chula Vista

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Multiple agencies showed up in San Diego's Chula Vista area and saved a retired police K-9 after it fell in a 40-foot well Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Chula Vista Fire Department, authorities received a call around 2:38 p.m. about a dog being stuck in a confined space near Vista Drive & Bonita Glen Drive.

Mark Pugh, a retired Navy veteran, told officials he was walking his 9-year-old dog, Indy, across a property when the German Shepherd disappeared. He soon realized the dog had fallen into a hole in the ground, which was covered by brush.

CVFD says they initially tried to rescue Indy without putting a person in because it is unsafe, given the recent rain. They tried using hook snares and a basket to see if they could get the K-9 out, but there was no luck at the time.

San Miguel Fire, Bonita FD, Chula Vista FD, CV Animal Control, and the San Diego Humane Society's Response Team were on the scene to help rescue the dog.

Rescue crews were able to pull Indy out of the well after nearly four tense hours. The dog was alert, but Pugh believes his hind legs might have been broken in the fall and Indy was rushed to an emergency vet office for more evaluation.

Pugh says he adopted Indy once the K-9 was done working with a law enforcement agency in Arizona, and he is grateful to the fire departments for their efforts.