The cries for help went unanswered for who knows how long.

It was about 10:45 p.m. Saturday when Melissa Vanderpool and Robbie Wilson first heard the whimpers. They thought it was just a neighbor's whiny puppy, yearning for attention.

But Sunday, while working in his backyard, Wilson decided to investigate. He looked over his privacy fence and saw a dog's nose poking out of the ground.

Wilson called Vanderpool, his fiancee, who called for help. An Animal Control officer responded.

Wilson, a friend of his and the Animal Control officer unearthed the bull-mastiff mix that was buried in the backyard of a home in the 7700 block of West Jackson Street.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene and began an animal cruelty investigation. So far, no one has been charged in the case, said Sgt. Mike Ward, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. He declined to discuss what the homeowners told investigators.

"The dog was in the ground," Vanderpool said. "It had dirt all over it. I don't know how it got there. It seems like every few minutes he stretched his neck up and could get his nose through the (small) hole."

Wilson, his friend and the animal control officer dug the dog out with shovels, making sure not to strike it while digging.

"It was labor intensive, a time- consuming thing," said Bruce Rova, director of Escambia County Animal Regulation and Control. "It took more than half an hour to dig it out."

Wilson's friend pulled the dog from the ground. It walked around and all of a sudden collapsed. The dog was taken to an emergency animal clinic Sunday, where it spent the night. It couldn't stand and was dehydrated.

It was taken Monday to the Safe Harbor Animal Hospital, where it spent the day resting and connected to an IV.

The dog, whose caretakers are calling Lazarus, looked tired Monday afternoon while lying in a cage. It seemed to barely have enough strength to lift its head as Rhea Delmore, the animal hospital's office manager, petted it.

What happened to the dog is especially disturbing to Rova.

"It's in my mind ... a felony animal cruelty case," Rova said. "It's pretty severe. I'd compare it to the worse case I've ever seen."

But there is good news, Rova said.

"It looks like it's going to make it. That is what I am so happy about."