Working in animal welfare is never an easy job and those who work on the front lines, like in animal rescue, often have to see and go through some difficult things.

Donna and Scott with Stray Rescue of St. Louis know the heartbreaking reality of animal rescue all too well.

Not only do they have to see and deal with heartbreaking rescue cases, but they sometimes put themselves in danger to save a dog!

That recently happened when Donna and Scott were called to investigate an abandoned house in St. Louis that had reports of a dog trapped inside.

The house was absolutely disgusting. It was full of wet trash, rotting flesh and wood, and God knows what else. The scene inside the home was like something from a horror film or a nightmare. But Donna and Scott pushed on in hopes of finding the dog trapped in all that mess.

While carefully walking through the house in search of the dog, Donna actually fell through the rotten floor! Thankfully, she was okay and she was dedicated enough to the mission to keep going.

Eventually, they found the sweet dog, who they named Mudder, stuck in the basement of the house. He’d either fallen down there or jumped down there and became stuck. He couldn’t get back out of the basement but he clearly couldn’t live there forever. It was no place for any living being to stay.

Ever so carefully, Donna and Scott worked together to remove the dog safely from the basement and bring him back to the rescue.

Animal rescue is almost never easy, but the end result is so worth it. In Mudder’s case, he’s now living his best life off the streets and surrounded by people who love him!

Check out the rescue video below: