This is Fruitycake. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, bad things happen to good dogs. Even the goodest dogs like me.

Let me explain. Saturday night, I got sick to my tummy. My allergies haven’t been good. I’ve been feeling pretty yuck even with my medicine. So I kept having to go outside for the bathroom. It gets dark here. Very dark.

So when I went to the bathroom, I forgot where I was. And I fell. I fell off one of the terraces. And what broke my fall? An old building below. Way below. Without a roof except a few pieces of wood and metal.

At first, Girl Person heard me fall on the metal. And as she ran over to me with a light, she gasped. There I was. in the middle of the roof with holes. Big holes. I didn’t dare move. I’m not Lassie. I don’t save people who fall into wells. Usually it’s me falling.

Girl Person is not the best in situations like this. She ran screaming to Boy Person inside who ran outside and almost fainted from shock. I heard him tell me to stay there. To not move. And I didn’t. I didn’t move. He got a ladder. I didn’t know where we were climbing to. But it was him climbing to me. As he carefully tried to get me, the roof kept creaking. And we fell. But he caught me and we were stuck. We couldn’t move. And we didn’t.

Girl Person at this point was praying and screaming and trying to figure out what to do. I’m a dog. But I’m not Lassie. So I stood on Boy Persons stomach. And Girl Person was wishing she hadn’t lost weight so she could weigh down the ladder.

After what seemed like forever, Boy Person told Girl Person we were going to fall thru. And that he would try to throw me up. And to get ready. She started praying again. And trying not to fall off herself. She didn’t even know the number to call for help here. And I expect Lassie wouldn’t have answered anyway.

She thought of an idea though to put my bed on top of the ladder and for Boy Person to try and push me up and she would pull me up. I didn’t like it. I’m not Lassie.

But I did it. I did it. And I was safe. Now it was Boy Person’s turn. And after she got me inside, he climbed up on the blackberry bushes.

The bushes that have giant thorns and grow on everything here. The bushes that probably saved us. They did.

Boy Person got up. And except for a hurt foot and finger and many scratches and thorns, we are here. Safe.

You can read Girl Person’a version here. But the important thing is that a lesson was learned. There can’t be a next time this happens.

Life is dangerous. No matter where you live. You just get used to your dangers. Like cars. Or different hazards in the day. But no matter how prepared we are, time and circumstance befall us all. Even Lassie.

So appreciate today. Be safe. But live. Like me. Not Lassie.

-Fruitycake

Any contribution to supplies for this rescue house in Italy this week AND some treats for good boy Fruitycake, gets a special snowflake cookie recipe for dogs by email HERE