Praise for heroic Merseyside dog who rescued man trapped under tonnes of cheese

Four-year-old Belle, a black Labrador retriever was sent by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to Hinstock in Market Drayton as part of a national response to the search for a warehouse worker who became buried after shelving collapsed around him on Friday.

Watch manager Jo Stephens said: "Belle did a fantastic job and performed exactly as she has been trained to.

"She has been an Urban Search and Rescue dog with the Service since she was 18-months'-old and has worked in many major incidents across the country.

"She is also part of the International Search and Rescue Team that deploys all over the world."

Heroic Labrador Belle

Together with another Search and Rescue dog from Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service, called Maya, Belle showed interest in the area of the haulage warehouse where Mr Wiszniewski was buried.

Firefighters from Shropshire Fire & Rescue and search teams from West Midlands Fire Service, were then able to free him from the wreckage.

Wiszniewski emerged unharmed from an eight-hour ordeal.

Jo added: "Belle is trained to sniff out live scent and to give a bark alert so that operational crews can then come to the spot she has identified and use listening devices and cameras to establish the exact location of casualties.

"It gives the crews somewhere to start and helps pinpoint areas where there might be casualties.

"This was an extraordinary outcome because the man involved emerged alive and unscathed.”

"The whole atmosphere in the warehouse was so buoyant when they brought the worker to safety.

"Belle did a fantastic job and we are very proud of her contribution to the rescue effort."

"She was rewarded with her beloved tennis ball, which is her motivation for all her search and rescue work!"

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service has a team of four dogs, who assist in search and rescue operations and fire investigations.

West Midlands Fire has provided the footage above from the rescue.