Tampabay: Woman, dog trapped for day in hole

NORTH REDINGTON BEACH -- A 71-year-old woman and her golden retriever were trapped in a ditch in her back yard for nearly 24 hours before a neighbor found them Sunday night.

Naomi C. Hardesty and her dog Shadow were dehydrated, but did not appear to be seriously injured, officials said.

Mrs. Hardesty and Shadow were walking in their back yard at 186 N Bath Club Blvd. in North Redington Beach on Saturday night about 11 p.m. when Mrs. Hardesty fell feet-first into a 4-foot-deep ditch, and Shadow followed, Pinellas County sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said.

The ditch, about 2 feet wide, was the result of repairs being done to Mrs. Hardesty's seawall. Mrs. Hardesty and the dog remained stuck in the ditch through the night and all day Sunday, Pasha said.

Sunday night about 9 p.m., a neighbor who regularly checks on Mrs. Hardesty found her in the ditch.

It took Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue paramedics about 25 minutes to remove Mrs. Hardesty and Shadow from the ditch. A firefighter was bitten on the hand by the dog during the rescue.

Mrs. Hardesty said she felt fine, but was taken by ambulance to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg for evaluation. Shadow was taken to the SPCA for an examination.

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