Missing dog Olive rescued after four days stuck down old mine shaft off Ringinglow Road in Sheffield

Olive disappeared from Lady Cannings Plantation in the S11 area of the city on Thursday, April 14 – and with no sightings since then, hopes of ever finding the loveable labrador had been fading.

But she is now reunited with her relieved owners after being found on Monday, April 18, stuck down a mine shaft off Ringinglow Road.

Charlotte Belton, who along with her mum Jo had appealed desperately for help to find the beloved family pooch, described the successful search and rescue operation as a ‘miracle’.

Sharing the good news on Facebook, she added: “Thank you so much to every single person who has been searching for her, we can’t believe we have our angel back.”

Olive, who is two, was taken to the vets for a check-up after falling down the mine shaft, which was around 12ft deep, in a field a few hundred yards from the Norfolk Arms pub.

“She was completely fine other than the fact she’s lost a lot of weight,” said Charlotte.

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“She has no injuries or broken bones, or anything, and she still seemed herself.”

Charlotte added that the area has since been fenced off and Sheffield Council plans to fill in the hole.

It is believed Olive stayed alive by licking water from the walls of the hole.

She was found with the aid of volunteers from HART (Homebound Animal Response Team) Search and Rescue (SAR).

Members of the group used drones and thermal cameras, and also scoured the area where Olive had gone missing on foot both day and night.

It was a friend of the family, Phil Robinson, who eventually found her, at which point firefighters from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue took over and lifted her to safety.

Simon Marples, of HART SAR, said hopes of seeing Olive alive had been fading after days without a sighting and it was a huge relief to find her just in time.

He told how the group had recently rescued another dog, Harper, for whom a major search was also launched after she was hit by a car on the M1 near Chapeltown.

For more about HART SAR, including how to donate, visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1104133960390283.