Tango the Jack Russell-cross sparked an animal rescue when she dashed into a maze-like rabbit warren and got lost.

Firefighters using specialist search equipment spent five hours trying to pinpoint the pining pet's location before finally digging her free.

The gear used by crews from Storrington, Worthing and a search specialist from Horley is usually brought in to find people trapped in collapsed buildings.

Tango hared off underground during a countryside walk at Georges Lane, near Storrington.

Her 72-year-old owner, Mary Roche, a retired legal secretary of Findon Valley, and friend Pat Snowden tried to coax the ten-year-old out but could tell she was trapped underground.

A passer-by called for help on a mobile phone and more than a dozen firefighters were mobilised.

Mrs Roche said: "We were calling for her and could hear her crying out but we could not get to her. These warrens are like an underground labyrinth.

"They showed us a picture of her in the warren and she was lying on her side. She was exhausted."

Tango was finally freed just after 8pm yesterday and a West Sussex Wildlife Trust member checked to make sure she was in good health.

Mrs Roche said: "Never again will I take Tango off the lead when we're in the countryside. It's just not worth it.

"At one stage I had more or less given up but the firefighters kept digging and digging. Being ten years old, Tango could have had a heart attack down there."

A West Sussex Fire Brigade spokeswoman said the "snake-eye" camera and "vibraphone" sound equipment used to find Tango were frequently used to search areas damaged in earthquakes.