Real-life ‘Lassie’ leads police to 80-year-old shepherd trapped in well

Spanish police reported this week that they were able to rescue an elderly shepherd from a well he had fallen into after being led to the location by his sheepdog.

The authorities in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, a small town some 40 kilometers west of Madrid, were alerted on Monday evening by a neighbor, who noticed that the shepherd had not taken his flock out to pasture that day.

The shepherd fell into the well trying to rescue a lamb

After first checking his residence, a search party made up of police, neighbors, and family soon located the shepherd’s flock on a nearby hillside, still guarded by his dog. Unable to find the shepherd after combing the area, the police decided to bring in the canine, which around 11.15pm led them to an abandoned property, and then to a well that had been left unfenced and that the old man had fallen into several hours earlier.

The shepherd had suffered no injuries, and explained that he had tumbled into the well trying to rescue a lamb that had previously fallen in.

English version by Nick Lyne.