A Dog Was Rescued From The Rubble 9 Days After The Italian Earthquake

The pup had no food or water the entire time he was trapped in the ruins of his family's home.

Clean-up and recovery efforts are continuing in the Italian towns devastated by last month's magnitude-6.2 earthquake that killed more than 290 people.

On Friday, though, firefighters made a heatwarming discovery when they returned to the ruins of a home in the hardest-hit town of Amatrice: A family's dog was still alive under the rubble.

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The golden retriever, named Romeo, had been sleeping on the first floor of the house and his owners on the second when the quake hit on August 24, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

The couple survived the collapse of their home, but couldn't find their dog until they returned Friday with firefighters to retrieve some belongings.

Romeo began barking and wailing when he heard his owners' voices, ANSA reported, as firefighters rushed to clear him from the rubble. He had spent the nine days since the quake trapped in a small pocket inside the ruins without food or water.

Once rescued, the pup then needed some help coming down over the wreckage.

Romeo looked delighted to be back in safe hands, immediately wagging his tail as he walked on the grass once more. He was then immediately given water, ANSA reported.

Glad you're safe, Romeo.

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