When Gertie the dog went missing, her mom, Connie Frick, remained hopeful that she’d be found. She never could have guessed the mess her sweet pup had gotten herself into.
As soon as Gertie disappeared, her family began searching for her. They plastered missing posters all around their neighborhood, wondering if someone had taken her in or if she was wandering nearby.
Five days went by without any sign of the poor pup, but then a miracle happened! A neighbor who was out walking her own dog decided to stop and investigate a noise that caught her attention.
As she got closer to where the sound was coming from, a concrete wall, she heard some “whining.” When her dog began to bark, Gertie was prompted to do the same. That’s when the neighbor realized what she had discovered.
“She fell through a roof of a hillside garage that was very dilapidated,” Connie said. “From what they could explain to us, she fell through the roof and whatever had been an old wall was replaced with a cinder block wall, which was keeping it from falling down. She was caught in between the two.”
When the Cincinnati Fire Department arrived, they realized they wouldn’t be able to pull the 35-pound white terrier mix to safety without first breaking down some of the wall. So, with a sledgehammer in hand, firefighter Jenn Adkins got to work.
The firefighters suspect that the small dog was stuck behind the wall for the entire five days that she was gone. Thankfully, Gertie persevered, and within 10 minutes, Jenn successfully set her free!
According to Connie, Gertie’s ability to survive for so long likely came from her experiences as a wild dog. No matter the reason, everyone was beyond thrilled when she finally arrived back home!
“She was so excited,” Connie said. “Everybody was loving on her. The firefighters were so happy.”
It’s wonderful to see Gertie and Connie back together again! Thank you to all the firefighters who found a way to break her out safely.
Watch Jenn set Gertie free in the video below, and don’t forget to share this story to celebrate her triumphant return.
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