MIRACLE mongrel Bruno survived a 40ft drop and escaped with only a sore paw.

Owner Kim Bruno, 30, had been taking a walk with her dog when the six-year-old pet took off towards Fort Horsted, Chatham.

He managed to squeeze through a fence and plummeted into the fort’s dry moat and wasn’t seen again for more than three hours.

Kim frantically searched the area looking for Bruno before she called in Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the RSPCA for help.

Sub officer Simon Yaxley, from Medway Fire Station, said: "The dog was being walked in the grounds of the nearby college when it started to chase something and followed it through a fence and fell into the moat.

"We were called to use our specialist lighting equipment to help search for the dog. We did find him near the bottom of the moat and he had injured his paw. He was difficult to get to so we hoisted him back up to safety."

Bruno was taken to a vets’ surgery where he was treated for his injuries.

Relieved Kim, from Selbourne Road, Gillingham, said: "I don’t think it will be too long before he’s back to his old self again as he seems to be recovering very well."