Bruno the dog survives month trapped in well near Estevan (Photo)

Bruno’s will to live: A story of hope, inspiration and determination.

Bruno, the chocolate Labrador retriever who spent 27 grueling days at the bottom of an abandoned 10-foot water well, is continuing his long journey toward recovery said his owners, John and Cindy Billesberger, who were unaware of the well’s existence at the far end of their rural Estevan property, until Bruno, one of their three pet Labradors, fell into it.

Seven-year-old Bruno weighed less than 50 pounds — about half his usual weight — when he arrived at an Estevan veterinary clinic a week ago.

Billesberger said his paws were stuck in the mud but her son jumped in to rescue him.

“His eyes were sunk in, they were infected. Cuts along his eyes, all his paws – he’s lost pads. He’s lost fur off his back end and was just a mess,” she said.

Kristin Caldwell, chief of veterinary operations at Prairie Animal Health Centre in Estevan, said Bruno was “barely alive” when he was found.

“To be honest most of us don’t feel that he had more than a couple of days left in him,” said Caldwell.

“Most pets…wouldn’t have survived even half, a third or a quarter of the time Bruno survived.”

Bruno lost nearly half his body weight and suffered other injuries. The College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon is looking after him until he can go home.

Bruno’s remarkable survival story has been a hot topic among several news agencies in the province and even gained media attention in New York.

Agencies/Canadajournal