Family dog kept digging one spot in the yard — what lay beneath ended up saving the children’s lives
Sometimes, dogs sense danger long before humans do, and one family learned just how true that can be. A viral video shared last year by Taylor Pepper, who goes by @taylorpepper02 on TikTok, told the story of a terrifying discovery in her backyard. It all happened because of her dog, who wouldn’t stop digging in one particular spot. What the family found beneath was unexpected and could have turned out to be extremely dangerous.
In the video, Taylor explained through onscreen text, “My dog kept digging at this place in our yard. He was trying to warn us.” What the family found was truly chilling: a deep, uncovered well believed to date back to the late 1800s. Over the years, it had been hidden beneath grass and a shallow layer of dirt. “It was covered from years of grass growing over it. It had shallow dirt over it,” she added in the video caption. “This was very scary for me… perfect size for my 1 and 2 year old.” It turned out that no one had ever properly filled in the old well, and the dog’s digging revealed just enough to catch their attention before anyone got hurt.
The clip shows Taylor’s husband dropping a large wooden log into the uncovered hole to test its depth. The log immediately disappeared, with only a bit of it left above the surface, proving how dangerous the situation could have been, especially with two small children playing in the yard. Taylor credited her dog for possibly saving her kids' lives. “He caught something that saved my children's lives [sic],” she wrote. The video quickly gained attention, garnering over 1.2 million views since being posted. Many internet users praised the dog for his instincts in the comment section.
@kpchaseabag shared their personal experience, "Dogs are so smart! My childhood dog tore up the kitchen floor, which was unlike her. My mom realized the entire floor had black mold, and we had been sick for four months." @lghutton2 expressed, "God used the sweet dog as your children's guardian angel." @apierich added, "My oldest was two when he fell into a well that looks like an in-ground birdbath on a family member's new farm. My uncle snatched him out quickly and got a metal grate so it won't happen again." Meanwhile, @user57017020580108 recounted, "Wow, the same thing happened to us six feet deep, we had major rains for about a week, and then the ground just opened up, grateful that my dogs didn’t go near it."
@taylorpepper02 It was covered from years of grass growing over it. It had shallow dirt over it. This was very scary for me.. perfect size from my 1 and 2 year old😭
♬ everything works out in the end - urfavmusic🅴
Pet canines have often stepped up in moments of danger, sensing threats before their owners and acting to protect them. In another heroic incident, a husky named Kobe from Philadelphia may have saved his family just days before Christmas. His owner noticed him repeatedly digging at a spot in the front yard, which led her to check for a gas leak. When tested, gas was detected, and repair crews spent three days fixing it.
For more inspiring dog content, follow @taylorpepper02 on her TikTok account.