Woman saves puppy trapped in rabbit hole for 26 hours

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — A local family is counting their blessings after a harrowing rescue of a family pet. They say the ordeal taught them a lesson about never giving up.

Felisha Ellison loves cuddling her dog R.J.

"He's my survivor," she told Channel 3 News.

R.J. almost didn't survive after he was trapped down a rabbit hole. The nine-month-old puppy chased the family rabbit into the hole, but didn't come back.

"We didn't see him, so we just began digging, digging, digging. Spent all day digging, all night. It got dark," Felisha said.

That's when they brought in the big guns and enlisted the help of a neighbor with some heavy equipment.

"We had the neighbor come over with the Bobcat, which is the farm across the street, and he cleaned most of the dirt over there," Felisha said.

But after moving all the dirt R.J. was still nowhere to be found. The family was exhausted and called it a night.

"When I woke up he was over my mind. So I came out here to look for him and kept digging," Felisha explained. "I started hearing a faint cry. I seen the dirt moving, so that's when I got on my hands and knees and I got down like a dog and dug him out."

The reunion, captured on cellphone video, is one Felisha will never forget.

"It felt, when I lost him in the ground, it felt like I lost a child, and when I was able to save him, he was still alive. It was just the happiest moment," Felisha said.

As for R.J., he seems unfazed by the fact he was trapped for 26 hours.

His family said their prayers were answered.