John Scarffe, Nederland. At about 7:55 p.m., on Tuesday evening, March 31, 2020, Nederland Fire Protection District dispatchers received notice about a dog stranded in an abandoned mine shaft. The shaft was located in a residential area at the intersection of Conifer Drive and Cougar Run in Nederland.

Nederland firefighters, police and Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies worked together Tuesday night to rescue the dog that took a roughly 20-foot fall into an abandoned mine shaft. Nederland police were called to investigate a 911 hang-up call around 7:30 p.m. in the 3900 block of Ridge Road, about four miles outside of Nederland.

A woman and man had been walking their female Australian Shepherd, named Luna, when the off-leash dog chased a deer. The couple followed paw prints tracked through the snow and then spotted Luna’s head from 20 feet beneath a mine shaft partially covered in branches. 

Responding agencies helped to clear the boughs from the shaft opening. A firefighter from the Nederland Fire Protection District was lowered down to the dog and was able to retrieve her.

The firefighter rappelled into the mine and placed the dog in a bag to keep her calm. Crews then hauled everyone to safety using a 3-to-1 system. 

The rescue took about an hour and a half to complete. In the end, the uninjured canine was “reunited with her mom.” 

(Originally published in the April 9, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)