There are times when the word miracle becomes appropriate and doesn’t need to be deemed as hyperbole.
The Billesbergers might tend to agree that might apply when the topic of, their pet pooch, Bruno is broached.
Bruno, their seven-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, spent 27 days trapped at the bottom of an abandoned nine-metre well, and is still alive and hopefully on the road to a full recovery. Bruno was rescued by John Billesberger and his son Joseph, after another Billesberger pet Labrador helped John discover the old well and her canine buddy on Oct. 14. The family didn’t know the well existed on a stretch of land near their rural property at Hitchcock.
Bruno’s misadventure began when he joined John and their two other labs, Luna and Esme for a trip out to the field on Sept. 17. John was out to pick up bales, north of their home.
“The three dogs always liked to follow along and they always stayed close,” said Cindy Billesberger.
It was an unseasonably warm day and John came home at noon to do some office work while avoiding the heat. Two of the dogs returned with him, but there was no sign of Bruno. That did not set off any alarm bells though because their son and his wife and daughter live on the property, too, about 180 metres away, and Bruno often plays with their two dogs.
“I became worried around dinner because Bruno never, ever misses a meal. We labelled him as our laziest dog, and the dog that was always the first one up for food,” she said with a laugh.
It was at that point they began the search with Cindy’s father joining them as did Cat, their daughter-in-law. They drove in all four directions and dispatched the other dogs, who, they hoped would pick up Bruno’s scent.
When they returned after dark, the thought struck them that perhaps Bruno had been caught under one of the bales.
“We were sick just thinking about that possibility,” she said.
The next morning, Cindy woke to discover John had already moved all of the 39 round bales looking for Bruno’s body.
The search was expanded but still, no luck.
Similar scenarios played out during the next two weeks and in the meantime the family put out notices on Facebook, garage sale sites and contacted humane societies in the area, as well as the veterinary clinics within a 100-km radius. The breeder and microchip company were contacted to update information.
“We were sure someone had taken him because he never wandered off and never chased after other animals. He was too lazy for that, but he loved vehicle rides of any kind,” Cindy said with another laugh.
The couple scoured the fields every day on their way to work in Estevan, hoping they would somehow at least come across his body, so they wouldn’t have to worry about somebody abusing or neglecting him.
“On Oct. 14, John left work early and took the dogs for a walk across the fields. He was about a half-mile from the house where there is a dugout on the neighbour’s quarter section across the road. A lot of tall grass was in the area and one of our dogs, Esme, just headed for a spot, started looking down at something and refused to leave. She just wouldn’t come when called, so he went over to take a look and he brushed the grass away with a stick and discovered the well and Bruno, who managed to lift his head and whimper, indicating he was still alive,” said Cindy.
Father-in-law and son were called to help and Joseph, using some planks got down into the well which was just over three metres in width, and he was able to pry Bruno’s paws out of the mud and then lifted him up, over his head to the others. Normally, it would have been near impossible, since Bruno generally weighed about 90 pounds, but he was less than half that weight by then.
Cindy contacted the Prairie Animal Health Centre clinic and they went on standby and took over once John delivered the emaciated and mud-covered dog to their care.
“I could tell by the look on their faces there wasn’t much room for hope. He looked awful. Some parts, it looked like his hair had been burned off, his paws were swollen and there were gouges by his eyes. It hurt to look at him,” Cindy said.
There was no veterinarian on staff in Estevan that weekend, so vet. technician staff members stabilized him and shipped him to Weyburn where he went under the care of Dr. Kristin Caldwell, before he was sent back to Estevan to Dr. Carol Ross who started administering a recovery plan. Bruno had not suffered any broken bones but one bone in a paw had been exposed. His organs still appeared to be functioning to some degree.
His body temperature was raised, while being hydrated and antibiotics were administered to fight off any possible infections.
“Knowing he was in that well, obviously suffering so long, it’s hard to contemplate,” Cindy said. “Talk about bravery and tenacity. We think he managed to take in enough water, because it had rained, and there was just enough water, that it kept him alive.”
On the fifth day of recovery, Bruno experienced a setback according to blood samples and phosphate monitoring, so the decision was made to send him to the Western College of Veterinarian Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.
Suddenly other media outlets began to get wind of the story and Bruno became a canine celebrity, even making some news outlets in New York and the United Kingdom.
“His blood work is good now. He was to start physiotherapy on Oct. 21. They were going to try to get him up and walking again. That bone exposed on a front paw will need surgery later. He’s not strong enough yet for that,” she said.
“The college is now giving out regular updates to the media, it’s crazy,” she said, about the burst of attention from the media and public.
Word received on Oct. 24 indicated that Bruno was now up on his feet.
“There will be a steak in his future, if his stomach permits it,” Cindy said. “He’s a pretty remarkable dog.”
