The earth opened up under a dog in Arlington Wednesday, Ethan Rothstein reports for ARLNow. Someone who says she is the dog’s owner tells her horrifying story in a comment on the story: She and her dog, a pit bull named Sampson, were walking near Rockwell park “when he suddenly just fell through the earth.” She continues:
The ground simply disappeared below him. I was left holding his leash while he dangled. Fortunately, the leash clips in both the front and on his back, so he was suspended in two places.
The owner says she was able to hoist Sampson out of the hole.
No sinkhole stands a chance of surviving long in Arlington, which has “crews there actively repairing” the hole, county environmental services department spokesperson Jessica Baxter tells Rothstein.
Dogs find themselves unexpectedly exploring sinkholes more often than you’d think. In January, firefighters in Florida rescued a dog named Sanford from a sinkhole. And last February, firefighters in Buffalo, New York, rescued a German shepherd named Mack who fell 10 feet into a watery sinkhole. “He was happy to be out,” his owner, Mattie Moore, told the Buffalo News.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
Sinkhole Eats Arlington Dog, Briefly
The dog survived, and Arlington is fixing the hole.
The earth opened up under a dog in Arlington Wednesday, Ethan Rothstein reports for ARLNow. Someone who says she is the dog’s owner tells her horrifying story in a comment on the story: She and her dog, a pit bull named Sampson, were walking near Rockwell park “when he suddenly just fell through the earth.” She continues:
The ground simply disappeared below him. I was left holding his leash while he dangled. Fortunately, the leash clips in both the front and on his back, so he was suspended in two places.
The owner says she was able to hoist Sampson out of the hole.
No sinkhole stands a chance of surviving long in Arlington, which has “crews there actively repairing” the hole, county environmental services department spokesperson Jessica Baxter tells Rothstein.
Dogs find themselves unexpectedly exploring sinkholes more often than you’d think. In January, firefighters in Florida rescued a dog named Sanford from a sinkhole. And last February, firefighters in Buffalo, New York, rescued a German shepherd named Mack who fell 10 feet into a watery sinkhole. “He was happy to be out,” his owner, Mattie Moore, told the Buffalo News.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
What to Know About the Dupont Circle “Deckover” Project
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
How a Freedom Plaza Skate Kid Started a Prominent Dog-Walking Business
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
More from News & Politics
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair
For DNC Chair Ken Martin, the Big Beautiful Bill Is Personal
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
We’re Still Litigating “Obliterated,” Apparently; Man Deported After Kicking Dog at Dulles; and “Big Balls” Is Back on the Job
Did Busy Pizza Shops Really Predict US Airstrikes on Iran?
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain