Sydney - Australians were urged Thursday to donate to an animal welfare organization to fund the ongoing rescue of a deaf 8-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel.

A search and rescue team has been working with veterinarians since Tuesday to reach the dog, called Scooby, which was stuck in a cave on a farm an hour's drive north of Sydney.

"There's a significant expense to these kinds of operations," said Matt French, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "We'd like to remind people we're not government-funded; we're a charity."

Remote cameras located Scooby behind a 6-metre rock wall Tuesday. Firefighters using jackhammers were digging through 100 tons of rock to reach him.

Rescuers camped outside the cave were being cheered on by Jack Newton, Scooby's 6-year-old owner. (dpa)