Quick-Thinking Construction Workers Use Digger To Rescue Washed Away Dog

A group of construction workers in Ecuador found a life-saving use for their equipment when they learned a dog was being washed away in a nearby canal.

Social media users have praised the quick thinking of the workers after footage of the intense rescue was shared online this month, when the innocent pup found itself being swept along by the water in an irrigation canal in Pasaje Canto.

The canal appeared to be located next to the area where the crew was working, so one of the men who has been named locally as Abel Murillo decided to climb into the scoop of a digger and use it as a makeshift platform as he was lowered down above the canal.

Check out the rescue below:

In the footage the workers can be heard conversing as the scoop was put into the position, after which Murillo crouched down to be close to the fast-flowing water carrying bits of rubbish along with it.

Before long the head of the dog came into view and the workers began calling and whistling to the pup, trying to get its attention so it would move over to where Murillo was waiting.

As the dog got closer, the worker was able to reach out and grab the dog by its fur before it could get swept any further along. He managed to pull it up into the scoop with him and hold on as the workers manoeuvred the machinery back to dry land.

Commenting on the rescue, the workers said: "The dog fell into the irrigation canal. And from further back they warned us that the dog was drowning, and so we proceeded to rescue him."

ViralHog

After the dog was successfully removed from the canal, Murillo encouraged it to stand on all fours. The pup looked understandably dazed, but otherwise relatively unharmed.

In a radio interview cited by the MailOnline, Murillo explained the dog nearly went under the scoop of the digger before he managed to grab it. He said the panicked animal gave him a 'slight bite' and said the workers later did a collection and took the pooch to the vet for some injections.

Murillo also said the dog had remained in the area at first but expressed belief it had since moved on, hopefully to somewhere it will be safe.

The workers were celebrated online, with one person dubbing the idea to use the digger as 'brilliant'.

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Topics: Animals, Viral, Dogs, World News

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.