SHADOW AND HER MIRACLE ESCAPE

It was one sunny day in the life and times at Woodmill, not a care in the world..(nearly choked on my hula hoop then!)...all was quiet and changeover commenced, dogs came down the field with me to clean out the ponies and they were all playing an frolicking in the long grass....(god I do spout some rubbish.....) you all know what its like here....adventure and crisis after crisis generally....Anyway...on to the story...Well to cut a VERY long story shorter...Lucky and Gem came back without Shadow, which they never do, they always stay together or Shadow might come back first, but she is never last in. I knew instantly there was a problem, she must be lost/stolen or hurt....Pete and I started the search, dropping everything to find her, started in the obvious peat bog places and known haunts of the dogs. Everyone I met that day now knows where I live and has my number...frightening eh!....We told everyone we passed to look out for her and after an hour we were getting really concerned. Rang in the missing dog at the RSPCA/dog warden/note at the local petrol station and we scoured the area more than once, it felt I ran for 6 hours constant and getting more panicked by the moment. Luxulyan Valley/Prideaux Woods/St.Blazey and beyond. Pete had to go and collect Steven who was stranded in Truro and I kept looking. I was like a gazelle or something far less elegant jumping through the woods at great speed shouting her name. I knew if she could hear me she would answer, Shadow talks you see, she makes a funny noise as if to want to speak when shes spoken too... Suddenly I heard the fainest response, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from, the valley distorts and throws the noise, so you think it is coming from the top and really it may be coming from the bottom, I ran and ran from noise to mumur. I was really worried we would loose her noise or the light. I rang Dad and Mum to come quick to help...Dad with 2 new knees and mum with dodgy balance and a bad shoulder!!!!!We located the noise and I walked on the course that we thought. All the mine shafts in the woods are open and not protected at the moment as they are harvesting, god knows what good ol' health and safety would say...its lethal up there, 21 mine shafts later......I heard the noise coming from the bottom of a shaft.....and it was deep and the noise was desperate and weak. Laura was up there by this point...she had hurt her back...we were all a right lot up there!...I didn't know what to think, I couldn't see that far down, must have been 60ft or so. I reassured Shadow we would get her out, she went quiet... I rang 999 and asked for the Rescue team to help, they were scrambled from far and wide. All volunteers and no funding, they raise there own funds. This will now be our Woodmill Charity and we will be raising money for them in future.....Jim the guy in charge I think, or certainly the one that rang me to say they were on the way was great and I gave him as much info as I had. We set up a relay, I stayed and talked to Shadow whilst Laura ran to get the rescuers and walk them and kit half a mile into the woods and show them where shadow was. Mum went and got food for them all for afterwards. Tim and Holly were over by this point and Tim came up to see. Holly and little Mason were safer at the bottom...not sure the pram would have made it!!!...The 12 or so rescuers and lights ambulance arrived in the drive and the vet was put on standby for pain relief and surgery.. None of us thought she would make it. She had fallen so far and she was so heavy 45kgs in fact...and only a baby!.....She had also stopped talking so that was a real worry. Pete and Steve arrived back in the middle of it and came up to watch/help with the rescue. After a difficult roping off and set up, they started to hoist Shadow up, a couple of attempts were made to get her up as the sling wasn't big enough. It is difficult to explain how big she is without actually seeing her. Leonbergers can grow up to 60-80kgs.....Finally they held Shadow part supported in their arms and she cuddled them all the way up, she is so loving and docile. Good job she wasn't fierce they may have left her there!!!!... When we saw her head appear over the edge we were so happy and amazed she was alive. I just wanted to hug her.She appeared to be in one piece..no one could believe it.... We tried to get her on the stretcher in case of internal injury but it was too precarious. After a thorough examination she was walked gingerly down to the house for pain relief/water and warmth. We had to watch for internal bleeding and shock etc but other than that she was fine. We had a celebration tea and cakes outside..in the dark by this point and thanked the Cornwall Search and Rescue team for there work and for saving our Shadow.....For obvious reasons we couldn't get many pictures but above are some that were taken. It was dark so they are a bit blurred!....I have missed loads out...but that's the gist.....Shadow is a very lucky girl....I think she may be in the paper tomorrow too!