SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — It’s been one year since the beloved former police dog, Indy, fell down a hole in a Chula Vista backyard while running in a backyard rented through the app, Sniffspot.
It’s been a long road to recovery for 10-year-old Indy, and it’s still not over.
Indy’s owner, Mark Pugh, said Indy fell down a 52-foot-tall abandoned cesspit, while running in a backyard rented through Sniffspot on Feb. 1.
When rescue crews got Indy out, Pugh said he was covered in waste and mud.
“He was lucky enough he didn’t break any bones… but he did blow out a disk or a disk and a half in his back and he had to have those two vertebrae fused in a spinal surgery,” Pugh added.
He said the mud and waste infected Indy’s wounds, and a year later, he is still on an antibiotic to battle the infection.
“He was on fentanyl, he was on other painkillers, every antibiotic in the dog kingdom, we tried to stop that infection,” Pugh added.
After seven surgeries, several hospital stays, a feeding tube, wheelchair and more, it’s been a long road to recovery, but every move has been a huge milestone.