But the worst happened during his outing.
Thirteen-year-old Bruiser lived with his owner Nicole Mitchell.
A quick trip outside
At the end of August, Bruiser was being looked after by his dog sitter whilst Nicole and her partner were away from home. At the time, building work was taking place in the garden as Nicole had decided to construct a bridge there.
The spot Bruiser normally used for his toilet breaks in the garden was cluttered with tools and machinery. Nicole had therefore asked the dog sitter to prevent Bruiser from going to the bottom of the garden for his business, as he usually did, and to use another area instead.
However, Bruiser was quite a stubborn dog. He didn't appreciate this change to his routine. He led his dog sitter towards the bottom of the garden, as he was accustomed to doing. The sitter did his best to prevent Bruiser from going there, knowing there were numerous deep holes which posed a falling risk.
Whilst his dog sitter tried to steer him away from one hole, Bruiser pulled in the opposite direction and his back paw slipped. He fell to the bottom of the hole. Despite all his dog sitter's efforts to get him back up, it was impossible...
Emergency situation
Nicole's friends as well as the local fire brigade intervened to rescue the dog. By digging around the hole, the rescuers were able to free Bruiser. In total, it took an hour and a half to get Bruiser out of his trap.
When Nicole and her partner learned what had happened, they immediately cut short their trip to return home. Two hours after the incident, they were back with Bruiser, who was acting as if nothing had happened.
All's well that ends well!
