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Family thankful after partially blind dog rescued, ‘We thought we lost him’

Posted at 9:57 PM, Jun 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-06 23:21:03-04

HOPEWELL, Va. -- Hopewell’s Animal Control and Fire Departments worked together Sunday evening to rescue a partially blind dog who fell over 25 feet down a 40 feet embankment overlooking the Appomattox River.

Rita and Larry Joyner’s son named their now 14-year-old dog Socrates after a movie character.

“It came from Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure,” Rita Joyner said.

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Rita and Larry Joyner with Socrates

Socrates lives with the couple along the banks of the Appomattox River.

But, Sunday evening his backyard paradise in Hopewell seemed hopeless.

"We were really feeling like we had lost him,” Rita said.

Larry Joyner and Socrates were enjoying some time outside, when “he gave me the slip and next thing I looked at he was right over there by the bank.”

That was a dangerous place for the partially blind dog who is also losing his hearing. Socrates slipped and tumbled down the embankment.

The Joyner’s called animal control who in turn called the fire department.

Firefighters located Socrates under heavy brush by repelling down the embankment.

“We set up a webbing strap around this tree,” Jesse Leneave, a Hopewell firefighter, said.

Amanda Svercheck with Hopewell Animal Control walked all the way down to the river, climbed back up toward the dog, and helped the firefighter carry Socrates to safety.

“The firefighter and I were doing a stop go, he was pushing and I was pulling,” Svercheck said.

dog rescue

Miraculously, Socrates was completely fine leaving his owners forever grateful to some of Hopewell’s finest.

“That’s what you get when you live in Hopewell, the people are really nice and they all work together, small town, small town feel for it, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” Larry Joyner said.

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