A LUCKY puppy has been rescued by a team of firefighters after falling down a mine shaft.

Nine-month-old Ruby the Springador, a cross between a Springer Spaniel and a Labrador, fell almost 115 feet down a mine shaft in the hills between Penrhyncoch and Bontgoch, sparking a mass rescue by a team of 20 specialists.

Ruby had been out walking with Dylan James on Sunday evening when she chased a rabbit through a hedge and fell down the mine.

Dylan, a manager at Links Electrical in Aberystwyth, spent six hours calling Ruby’s name, but feared the young pup had died when he got no response.

Recalling the moment they were reunited, Dylan said “When that little dog came up in the rescue bag there were lots of tears.

“We shook everyone’s hand and said thank you. I don’t think they’ve ever had so many hugs.

“They were all fantastic and we can’t thank them enough.”

Explaining how she fell, Dylan said: “A rabbit bolted from the forestry and Ruby went after it.

“I heard her yelping as she fell and then I heard her hit the bottom.

“I called the fire brigade and a man came out but he said he couldn’t send a team down in the dark for a dog, but he promised he would call them in the morning.

“I stayed there for six hours, until 2am, calling out Ruby’s name, but I couldn’t hear her and I feared the worst.”

Dylan returned home and had to tell fiancée Beth Davies, the dog’s owner, what had happened.

“It was frustrating having to leave her there all night,” Dylan said, “but first thing Monday morning I got a call to say rescuers were on the way.”

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