Dog rescued from 12-foot deep sinkhole in Massachusetts backyard: "They're part of your family. You do what you've got to do."

A beloved yellow lab was the subject of an elaborate rescue in Falmouth, Massachusetts Tuesday after she fell into a sinkhole that had opened in her backyard.

Tessie's family realized something was wrong when only her canine pal Taco returned inside after playng in the yard.

"He [Taco] went over by the fence and was barking," said Taco and Tessie's owner, David Velesig. "I went over and looked down. There were leaves and a little hole. And at the bottom of it was Tessie. It was like 12 feet deep."

Fearing the hole could cave in if he intervened himself, he called 911. Emergency responders said he did right thing; after stabilizing the surface around the sinkhole they determined it was too dangerous even for firefighters to go in after Tessie.

"They brought the ladder truck, and they lowered some sort of a harness type of thing that they got under her," Velesig described. "It took a long time. Then they pulled up on the harness and out she came."

The Velesig family is incredibly grateful their Tessie is safe and home where she belongs, but also for the patience and persistence of first responders who worked so carefully for more than two hours.

"Two people became four people became eight people, became two dozen people," Velesig said. "They all worked together. A lot of people putting in a lot of time."

While Tessie calmed down with some well-earned pepperoni, crews filled in the large hole - which had been caused by hidden water drainage. 

Tessie was not hurt in the fall or rescue, and she and Taco are again free to roam in the yard they love.

"They're dogs and you could be like it's just a dog, but everyone here has probably had a relationship with a dog at some point. They're part of your family. You do what you've got to do," Velesig said. "With everything going on, it's kind of nice there's a good story."