What was supposed to be a day spent visiting a famous earthwork sculpture soon turned into a massive rescue effort as 20 strangers joined forces to help rescue a dog out of a tar pit . With no cell phone reception to call for help , owner Tom George had to leave his dog Shelby stuck in a pool by the Great Salt Lake 's Spiral Jetty and drive an hour out to the nearest town . But , lucky for George , a family was willing to stay with Shelby - and only more and more strangers followed as they heard his story . Scroll down for video . Twenty strangers joined forces to help rescue a dog named Shelby out of a tar pit he had gotten stuck in near the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake . As more people came , they began bringing items to try and help get Shelby out , using grocery bags , car floor mats , tarp , garbage bags , a straw hat and even bare hands . 'The whole time I was driving I kind of figured there was already a really good chance he was already gone , ' George told Fox 13 Salt Lake City . And at first the situation looked 'pretty hopeless ' , according to Max McGregor , whose family stayed with the dog . ' I was pretty sure that the back legs , the way they were positioned , they were going to snap right where the knee was , ' said McGregor 's daughter Chloe . Todd Tanner , a Fox 13 reporter who was supposed to shoot video of the Spiral Jetty that day , said only Shelby 's head was visible from the pit . He thought the dog was dying . But then a family who was visiting the shoreline with a photography group came over to help . And a huge group of friends from Salt Lake City jumped in as well . As more people came , they began bringing items to try and help get Shelby out , using grocery bags , car floor mats , tarp , garbage bags , a straw hat and even bare hands . With no cell phone reception to call for help , owner Tom George had to leave his dog Shelby stuck by the Great Salt Lake 's Spiral Jetty and drive an hour out to the nearest town . But the group was able to separate the dog from the tar , piece by piece , as they continued to put objects in to pit to keep Shelby from getting stuck again or from continuing to sink lower into the pool of tar . Shelby still could n't move after he was freed from the pits , so five people helped carry him to the road and saw that George had come back just in time . Max McGregor said that as they separated the dog from the tar piece by piece , they would continue putting objects in the pit to keep Shelby from getting stuck again or continuing to sink . According to Tanner , no one in the newly-formed group 'knew exactly what to do ' , but they worked for over an hour together to find a way to get Shelby out . 'Total strangers talked , and worked , shoulder to shoulder , and figured it out , ' he wrote in an exclusive for Fox 13 Salt Lake City . 'They did n't know each other ’ s names , and they did n't care . They ruined their clothes , they interrupted their plans , and they made a memory to last a lifetime . And yes , they saved Shelby . ' Shelby still could n't move after he was freed from the pit , so five people helped carry him to the road and saw that George had come back just in time . Veterinarians had to work on Shelby for 6 to 8 hours that night and had to shave most of his hair off to remove more than 40lb of tar . George said that Shelby 's brother Rue stuck to his side , even sleeping next to him that first night after the accident.Shelby ( right ) has since recovered and his once 'splendid coat ' is growing back as well . Veterinarians worked on Shelby for 6 to 8 hours that night and had to shave most of his hair off to remove more than 40lb of tar . George said that Shelby 's brother Rue stuck to his side , even sleeping next to him that first night after the accident . Shelby has since recovered and his once 'splendid coat ' , as George described it , is growing back as well . As for his rescuers , they will always remember coming together to help Shelby . 'You know what the best part is , though ? Everybody that heard came and brought something and tried to help , and everybody had ideas , ' said Cathy McGregor . ' I mean there were 20 people out here trying to get this little dog out . ' Shelby got stuck near the Spiral Jetty , an earthwork sculpture on a remote part of the Great Salt Lake 's northeastern shore .
Tom George 's dog Shelby got stuck by the Great Salt Lake 's Spiral Jetty . George had no cell phone reception and had to drive over an hour to the nearest town for help . But strangers who were planning to visit the famous earthwork sculpture instead spent an hourover an hour to get the dog out . Veterinarians removed 40lbs off Shelby , who has since recovered .