Lucky Dog! Pup buried in hole by Taal eruption rescued by cops

Taal Volcano’s eruption has put the lives of thousands of Batangueños in limbo — not to mention those of their pets.

With many residents stuck in evacuation centers waiting for the volcano to erupt, many of their animals have been left in their homes to fend for themselves. With many towns in Batangas on lockdown, rescuing these animals has become the responsibility of animal rights activists and the authorities, who thankfully managed to save one very good boy from a pit in Talisay town in Batangas, where he was buried by Taal’s spewing ash almost a week ago.

Read: ‘How about you carry a horse and ferry it down the lake?’: Batangueños clap back at Erwin Tulfo

The rescue was captured by Patrolman Jonathan Sumagang of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday, which has been shared almost 3,200 times since. Sumagang and his teammates thought the pup was lucky, so that’s what they named him.

“While we were patrolling the shoreline looking for someone to rescue, we saw Lucky located at about 150 meters from our boat,” Sumagang told Coconuts Manila in a Facebook Messenger interview. “We initially didn’t notice him because he was behind this bamboo wall that collapsed. We didn’t think twice about helping him out.”

Sumagang said he was emotional while Lucky was being pulled out of the ground.

“I felt bad for him that he was trapped. I was also nervous and scared that we would not be able to rescue him alive. I was also scared that the volcano might spew ash again,” he said.

As of writing, the police have yet to identify Lucky’s owners, but the pup has been brought to a veterinarian for medical treatment. He’s currently staying at a police camp in Mabini, Batangas, where he’s being cared for by cops.

Many netizens expressed gratitude to the cops who rescued Lucky, including Cedrics Marc who wrote, “God bless everyone who spent time on Lucky!”

Are you in Batangas and have you heard of similar stories of animals being rescued from the eruption? Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.