Tooele County Search and Rescue Team Nabs PETA Award for Saving Dog Trapped in Mineshaft

For Immediate Release:
October 2, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Action Award is on its way from PETA to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team after it sprang into action to save a dog who had plunged 30 feet headfirst into an abandoned mineshaft in the mountains west of Grantsville on Sunday. During the hours-long operation, the team faced a narrow opening and a lack of anchor points but used creative rigging to lower a rescuer into the mine, where she fashioned a makeshift harness around the dog and helped lift him to safety. The dog was uninjured and reunited with his guardian.

“This dog was trapped in a terrifying situation, and he likely wouldn’t have survived without these rescuers’ resourcefulness and determination,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone to follow their compassionate example and never hesitate to help an animal in danger.”

The Tooele County Search and Rescue team will receive a framed certificate from PETA, along with delicious vegan chocolates.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.