Cavers Nab PETA Award for Rescuing Dog Trapped in Giant Caverns
For Immediate Release:
July 16, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
A Compassionate Action Award is on its way from PETA to Dave Jackson and Jesse Rochette of the Colorado-based educational cave simulator CaveSim for their compassion and sense of urgency in rescuing a senior dog who had fallen to the bottom of a 40- to 50-foot-deep cave. The two were exploring Giant Caverns in Narrows with a local couple on July 7 when they found the dog shivering and famished. Over the course of three hours, the group created a makeshift harness, used it to strap the dog to Rochette’s chest, and hauled her out of the cave. She was taken by the group to a veterinary hospital for treatment and eventually transferred to the Giles County Animal Shelter. Rochette later named her Sparsy (aka “SPAR–C,” which stands for Small Party Assisted Rescue–Canine).
“Sparsy is alive, safe, and warm today, thanks to Dave Jackson and Jesse Rochette, whose quick thinking and kindness saved her from a prolonged, agonizing death at the bottom of a cave,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA encourages everyone to follow their example by acting swiftly whenever they see an animal in need.”
Jackson and Rochette will each receive a framed certificate as well as delicious vegan chocolates and cookies from PETA.
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 the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
