Pilbara dog survives two days in Rio Tinto mining bin before it is rescued

A dog has miraculously survived after spending days at the bottom of a mining bin where tonnes of iron ore is dumped.

Shanny was discovered inside the dumper near a Rio Tinto port facility in the Pilbara region, in Western Australia.

The dog is understood to have been living in the bin for two days after running away from its home at Dampier during a thunderstorm.

Some 600 ore carloads are dumped in the bin each day, with each car carrying more than 100 tonnes of iron ore.

Travis Burrows, who is part of Rio Tinto’s emergency response team, said it was a ‘miracle’ the dog had survived.

‘There was so much ore coming out, I do not know how that dog survived,’ he told ABC. 

He said he had received a call informing him that a dog had been found in the bin.

‘Possibly where it went down, it got stuck somewhere and was able to not get hit by the ore, which is amazing,’ he said. 

More than 100,000 tonnes of iron ore are understood to have passed through the bin during the two days Shanny was holed up inside.

Mr Burrows said it was ‘amazing’ the dog had been found uninjured.

SAFE Karratha founder and chair Sue Hedley said workers on site became aware of the dog stuck in the bin after hearing squeaking noises.

‘Rio Tinto have very tight security but this little determined dog – being so terrified by a thunderstorm – got through it in fear and ironically found herself in a more fearful place than a thunderstorm,’ she said. 

Shanny has since been returned to her home without any injuries.

Dog owner Eloise Dortch said her pet appeared to be in high spirits and back to her normal self.

‘Shanny looked very pleased to see me, she wagged her tail and looked happy,’ she told news.com.au.

‘She gave a little shake and made a mess on my kitchen floor with dust everywhere.’

Shanny is a rescue dog adopted from SAFE Karratha, an organisation that pairs homeless animals with new owners and saves them from euthanasia.