In Jan. 31-Feb. 6 issue
By Greg Wells
Times Journal Managing Editor


Brently Anderson with his dog Homer after the canine was recovered from a cave in which it had been trapped for four days. A Lexington TV station kept its viewers informed during the hunt. At right is caver Greg Robinson.

JAMESTOWN - It was a happy reunion Monday afternoon as Homer, the coonhound, escaped a dangerous trap thanks to local caver Greg Robinson.

"He was wanting out of there pretty bad," said Robinson. "He was down in a big ol' wet hole."

Robinson said he found the dog about 40 feet inside a cave at the base of a sinkhole off of Wooldridge Schoolhouse Road.

He said the dog was trapped behind a 15-foot deep drop-off.

Robinson said he was able to get a rope around the hound and pull him up. After that the dog was off toward the opening of the cave.

Brently Anderson had been missing his dog since last Wednesday night and was thankful for all the help from Robinson, the Russell County Rescue Squad and others.

He said he'd been hunting with the dog for about two years and that Homer was, "a good ol' hunting dog."

Brently had come back to help with the search after school, along with other members of his family Monday afternoon.

He had led the way to another cave entrance in the area before getting the call that Homer had been freed.

Brently had fitted his dog with a collar equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) enabled locator.

That collar had helped searchers locate his dog, Brently said.
The dog was alert with only a few scrapes evident on his head. He seemed to be happy to see his owner, but the family opted for a quick vet check-up as they took Homer home.