A 12-year-old retriever is back safe and sound with her owners after Minnesota Department of Transportation workers used a lift to rescue the wayward pooch that was found in a precarious position in a bridge construction site near Virginia, Minn.
Last week, the pup named Hat Trick had wandered onto the site where crews are building a 1,100-foot-long bridge spanning 250 feet above the abandoned, flooded Rouchleau Pit. The bridge is part of a project to relocate Hwy. 53 to allow for expansion of a taconite mine.
Hat Trick had climbed down the rock wall and somehow got herself stuck behind the netting that is used to protect workers from falling rocks. Crew members heard rocks falling and figured a fox was running around since they had seen several foxes climb up and down the wall without issue in the past.
But then they realized it was a dog that was trapped, and crew members sprang into action. They tried coaxing the dog to come down, but that didn't work. That's when a worker went up in a lift and reached the dog, according to a Facebook post.
"The pup reportedly jumped right into the basket and was an obedient guest, sitting nicely the whole way down," according to the post. "The worker even brought an extra safety harness to clip the dog in the basket for extra security."
Once on the ground, the dog was met with a bowl of water and some pats on the head. Hat Trick (as in scoring three goals in one game) was wearing a dog collar with and identification tag, which allowed workers to contact her owners, who are big hockey fans. A half hour later, the dog and owners were reunited.
