First responders helped rescue a retired K-9 officer that had fallen down a hole.

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A German shepherd had fallen down a 30-to-50-foot hole in a backyard Wednesday afternoon, KNSD reported.

Firefighters from several fire departments responded and used a pully and lasso to try to bring the dog, who is named Indy, back to the surface.

After about 30 minutes of trying, the dog remained underground.

Firefighters were not allowed to go down the hole to rescue Indy, and neither was the dog’s owner Mark Pugh, a veteran of an Arizona sheriff’s department, because of OSHA regulations.

Pugh told KNSD he had experience in situations like this.

“They wouldn’t let me put on a harness and go get him, so ... [I’m a military veteran] I’ve done more stuff than that,” Pugh told the television station.

Pugh is retired from the Navy, KGTV reported.

But there were concerns that a rescue of that type could hurt Indy, a firefighter or even cause a cave-in of the hole because of rains the past two months.

Firefighters said the ground was too unstable and they could not make it safe.

After about four hours, fire crews were able to get a line on the 9-year-old dog and hoisted him to the surface.

Once he got to the top, Indy was covered in mud but was alert. He was loaded into a canvas sheet and taken to a veterinarian to be checked out, KNSD reported.

The property is owned by Vince Carillo and he rents out the space to allow dogs to run. Before this week he had rented the space to about 120 different pet owners. He said he didn’t know about the hole in the yard, which has a concrete pad around it. He said it was concerning since he has three small children and a dog of his own, KNSD reported.

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