A COUPLE have been reunited with their pet dog in time for Christmas – after it was trapped down a rabbit hole for eight days.

Thirteen firefighters were involved in a four-hour operation to rescue the terrier on Bodmin Moor.

Minnie, an eight-year-old Jack Russell terrier, belongs to Simon and Dr Leela Humphreys, of Crows Nest, near Darite, and went missing after going off into undergrowth looking for rabbits.

There was no sign of Minnie anywhere and a search by local people failed to find her.

After several days, her owners were beginning to give up hope. But on Monday a friend told them she had heard a dog whimpering below the old Caradon railway line.

'Luckily, Simon was home that day so we grabbed shovels and tracked the sound to an embankment,' said Leela. 'We started digging but it became apparent that we needed help.'

The couple called the fire service and a crew from Liskeard arrived and excavated the soil enough for Minnie to be visible. She was stuck behind a stone and, although able to move backwards, could not move forwards. The crew called for back-up and eventually Minnie was pulled out.

'She was thin and smelly and very tired, but she had survived because I noticed there was water dripping off the rocks,' said Leela.

'We are so pleased to have Minnie home and can't thank the firefighters enough for their help. We will be making a donation to the firefighters' charity to show our appreciation.'