A team with Pinky Paws Search & ResQ in Fowler, California, worked day and night from September 17 to help free a litter of puppies that appeared to be trapped in a hole in the ground.

Various videos and images were shared of the attempts to free the puppies, with workers wriggling as far as they could into the ground to grab the dogs and bring them into the light. Once the puppies were free from the hole, they were used as bait to lure the mother dog into a set of cages set up for her and the entire family.

The dogs were then brought back to the rescue, for some loving care. One of the posts from the organization described the process as “a 3-day rescue mission” that took “about 10.5 hours” in total. Credit: Pinky Paws Search & ResQ via Storyful