A seven-month-old puppy which plunged 20ft down a well was saved from drowning – after it landed on a sheet of ICE.
Adventurous Bull Terrier Ben was playing outside when owner Adam Cook, 24, heard a crashing sound from the back garden.
Panicked Adam ran out to find his beloved pet had tumbled down the deep disused well which sits behind his house in Northampton.
Incredibly, the plucky pooch escaped falling into the chilly water because it had frozen solid on Easter Monday.
Remarkably, the ice kept Ben dry until the fire brigade arrived to winch him out.
Adam said Ben would almost certainly have died if the dog had fallen into the water.
The apprentice electrical engineer said: “I heard a massive crash from the garden, I went out the back of the house but couldn’t see Ben.
“I grabbed a torch and looked down the well and saw him at what I thought was the bottom of the well.
“It turned out to be a sheet of ice that he was standing on.
“I couldn’t believe it, there was wood there before but it must have perished in the bad weather.
“When the fire brigade arrived they used a ladder at first but didn’t want to break the ice so in the end they had to set up a tripod to lower one fireman down to bring Ben back up.
“After they got him out I cleaned him off with some towels and he was running around licking the firemen and acting like nothing had happened.
“If the ice hadn’t been there it could’ve been a different story – he’s a very lucky boy.”
Adam fitted secure decking over the well the following day to prevent any further accidents.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The dog was approximately 20ft down and they rescued him with rope rescue equipment, a ladder and a quad pod.”
