When Goliath ran after a cat no one expected the two would still be together when they were rescued from a Buninyong drain three hours later.
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But that’s exactly what occurred to the eight-year-old jack russell on Sunday morning.
It took a Ballarat SES crew of 10 three hours to dig Goliath free from a drain just off Forest Street in Buninyong.
But to their surprise it wasn’t only Goliath stuck in the drain.
While Goliath was happy to be out and back into the arms of his owners, the cat was quick to escape off into freedom, according to Ballarat SES duty officer Frank Gillett.
For Goliath’s owner, Ian Watson, he was just happy to see his mate unharmed.
It was around 9am when Mr Watson received a phone call from his wife, who was out walking their dogs, that naughty Goliath had found himself in some trouble.
“We could hear him in there, and his brother Hercules just sat there howling,” he said.
“I thought he was only a couple of metres in, but he was 30 or so metres.
“So I thought we better call the SES. They were just wonderful.”
He said it was the first time in two years walking the same track that Goliath had ever chased a cat.
It might not be the last, with Goliath spending his new found freedom looking out for the mysterious cat.
But if his owners have anything to do with it, there will be no more chasing cats with a new lead in sight.
But for now, it’s home for a hot bath to clean off the mud.
“He will probably get some cuddles from dad too,” Mr Watson said.