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SALT LAKE CITY — A group of Missouri cave explorers accidentally found and helped rescue a senior dog that had been missing for two months. It is unclear how long the dog was in the cave or how it managed to survive.
The Berome Moore Cave is one of the longest caves in the country. According to Berome Moore Caves and Karst Conservatory, the cave is around 22 miles, which makes it Missouri's second longest cave. Fox 4 reported the cave explorers were deep between Brewer and Perryville when the dog, Abby, was discovered.
Newsweek reported that the rescuers found the cave to contain running water with fish but these features were in total darkness. This discovery made the team wonder how Abby survived so long.
Rick Haley, one of the rescuers called to the scene, said in a Facebook post that the dog was cooperative, calling the rescue "a feel-good story of survival."
Gerry Keene was the other rescuer called to the scene that helped Haley move Abby out of the cave in a duffel bag, about 500 feet over a "tight, awkward, vertical climb," according to the post.
Once Abby was rescued from the cave, rescuers began their search for her owners, Newsweek reported. Biehle Assistant Fire Chief Robert Cahoon helped rescuers knock on doors in local areas until the dog was returned to her rightful home.
When the cave explorers finally found Abby's owners, they said they hadn't seen her since June 9 and had assumed they wouldn't see her again.
