A Jack Russell terrier was stuck underground for more than an hour after it chased a rabbit down a hole in Blenheim.

Blenheim deputy chief fire officer Dion Partridge said firefighters were called out just after 7pm on Monday to the Taylor River Reserve in Springlands.

A man had been walking his dog along the river reserve when it disappeared into a large burrow. He began to worry when his dog did not resurface, so he phoned for help, Partridge said.

The rescue was out of the ordinary for the Blenheim volunteer firefighters, but the crew of six was determined to find the dog.

"It was like finding a needle in a haystack," he said.

The Marlborough District Council gave permission for the firefighters to scratch into the stopbank and a digger moved the dirt around before the crew got stuck in with shovels.

After working for almost an hour they unearthed the dog, which emerged with an enthusiastic yap.

The dog did not seem to appreciate the stress it had caused. "It wanted to get straight back in again," Partridge said.

- The Marlborough Express

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