Faint barking leads to dog stuck in Pa. cistern

[February 29, 2012]  WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Four days of faint barking finally led neighbors to a dog trapped in an unused cistern under a house in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Finally, on Monday, Matthew Burris tells the Observer-Reporter of Washington, Pa., (http://bit.ly/xDmT9Q) that he located the source of the barking in his Waynesburg neighborhood and contacted the Greene County Humane Society.

Jane Gapen, the group's director, says the dog apparently pushed through the lattice under a porch and fell through some rotted boards into the cistern below. Police say the home's owner had lived there more than 20 years and didn't even know there was an unused cistern under his front porch.

Officials believe the beagle mix might have been chasing a squirrel or rabbit before falling 10 feet into stagnant water. They say the dog appeared unhurt.

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Information from: Observer-Reporter, http://www.observer-reporter.com/

[Associated Press]

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