Riverside Family Reunited With Pooch After Scary Disappearance

RIVERSIDE, CA — A canine that wedged herself under a Riverside home to escape neighborhood fireworks and became stuck for two days was back with her owners Wednesday, recovering from the ordeal.

The 13-year-old black Labrador retriever, named Midnight, darted out of her owners' home in the 3400 block of Franklin Avenue when illegal fireworks erupted after the Los Angeles Lakers' championship win Sunday night, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Animal Control Officer Michael Cox said the petrified canine plowed through a protective screen leading to crawlspace beneath the house and clawed inward until she became jammed under a load-bearing wood beam beneath the home's kitchen floor.

"It was as if she had burrowed a spot for herself, but she had actually entrapped herself," he said. "That's the magnitude of just how scared she was from the fireworks."

Midnight’s owner, Talisa McGrath, said Midnight had never run off before when people lit fireworks in the neighborhood. She would instead hunker down somewhere in the yard.

When McGrath learned Midnight was under the kitchen floor after hearing her whimper, she contacted a contractor. At first she thought she might need a hole cut in the floor.

Instead, the contractor — Gilbert Jordan of Jordan’s Custom Woodwork — provided Cox with protective goggles and protective suit to safely retrieve the pooch. A family member joined the officer into the crawl space to assist and make Midnight feel more comfortable.

When Cox initially tried to pull the dog, she used her front legs on the other side of the beam to hold on and resist his help.

Eventually, the family member was able to push Midnight, and Cox pulled the dog in a safe manner. Inch by inch, the duo made progress without injuring the Lab. The slow process took a few hours, but as Midnight saw light coming from the opening she hustled out on her own.

"It took us a few minutes, and there was a lot of dirt kicked around," Cox said. "Even with flashlights, the visibility was very low. But the good news is, we were finally able to nudge her from her spot, and she crawled out of the hole into the arms of her very relieved and happy family."

The dog was not physically injured, but was thirsty and starved. She is under the care of her owners and expected to be fine, according to agency spokesman John Welsh.