A dramatic rescue mission unfolded on Tuesday (October 27) in Portsmouth after an eight-week-old Cockapoo puppy became trapped inside a reclining sofa — sparking a frantic call for help.
The tiny pup had somehow crawled underneath the electric chair, completely out of sight, when his unsuspecting owner pressed the recline button. Within seconds, the puppy’s fur became tangled in the sofa’s metal mechanism, trapping him in a terrifying position.
Panicked by his cries, the owner immediately contacted the RSPCA, fearing the worst.
RSPCA Inspector Hannah Nixon, who arrived on the scene at Warspite Close, recounted the intense ordeal:
“The owner was reclining her electric sofa and didn’t realise the puppy had crawled underneath,” Hannah said. “He got his fur entwined around the central screw of the chair’s mechanism. The owners had already tried to take the sofa apart but couldn’t free him — so they called us for help.”
The little pup, affectionately nicknamed “Pudding,” was one of five born to the family’s dog, Phoebe. He was the last one left waiting to go to his forever home — and now, his mischievous curiosity had landed him in quite the predicament.
Realizing how complex the situation was, Hannah called for backup from Hampshire Fire and Rescue, whose specialist animal rescue team has decades of experience in emergency extractions. Among them was Jim Green, a renowned rescuer who previously won the RSPCA’s Richard Martin Gold Award for pioneering new animal rescue techniques.
Together, Hannah and Jim carefully began the painstaking task of freeing little Pudding.
“I stabilised him while Jim worked around me to remove the central screw and disconnect the electrics,” Hannah explained. “We then lifted the puppy onto the kitchen counter, where Jim had to saw through part of the metal structure to release him.”
After several tense minutes, the rescue team’s efforts finally paid off — Pudding was free.
“Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured,” Hannah said with relief. “He had a few bruises, but once he realised he was safe, he ran straight to his mum, gave us a few kisses, and then curled up on the rug to fall asleep. It was such a sweet moment.”
Pudding is now recovering well and back to his playful self.
Remarkably, this isn’t the first time the RSPCA has been called to rescue animals trapped in recliners. In 2015, a Lhasa Apso named Cagney in Salford got stuck head-first in an electric chair — only her back legs sticking out — before being safely freed. And in 2018, a stray cat in Bristol suffered a similar fate when her tail became caught in a sofa mechanism after a child unknowingly pressed the electric recline button.
Fortunately, in all cases, the animals escaped without major injuries — but the RSPCA is reminding pet owners to always check under furniture before using electric or mechanical recliners.
As for little Pudding, he’s back to his bouncy, happy self — blissfully unaware that his daring adventure turned him into a local hero.