Starving dog spent ‘several days’ trapped at bottom of huge sinkhole in NC mountains

A group of mountain bikers riding the Sinkhole Trail at Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina spotted something unexpected Sunday at the bottom of its namesake: A starving dog.

The pooch had apparently been stuck in the 30-foot sinkhole “for at least several days,” according to a Burke County Search And Rescue Facebook post.

It was rescued Sunday afternoon, after the bikers decided not only to call for help, but to meet the rescuers in the parking lot and lead them back to the dog. The national forest, which includes more than 500,000 acres, is about 50 miles south of Asheville.

“Rescuers and Burke County Animal Enforcement hiked a mile and a half to reach the dog’s location. One rescuer rappelled into the sinkhole, made contact and was able to win the dog over with beef jerky,” the rescue squad posted.

“Once a harness was made, the dog was clipped-in and raised slowly to the top! After a wellness check he was surprisingly unharmed but very hungry and thirsty!”

The dog was taken to Burke County Animal Services for examination and the rescue squad says attempts are being made to find its owner. “For now, we will call him Sinker,” the squad said in its post.

Sinker was without a collar and did not have a microchip, which means he could be up for adoption if unclaimed, according to Morganton.com.

The 7.4-mile Sinkhole Trail is located off Craig Creek Road and gets its name from “a large sinkhole along the main ridge line,” according to the MTB Project.

This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Starving dog spent ‘several days’ trapped at bottom of huge sinkhole in NC mountains."