SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Most would never think that Bruce Wayne could be trapped underground and would need help from firefighters to escape.
But that was the case on Sunday at a Scottsdale home.
Except it wasn't Bruce Wayne, the bat-dressed action hero who protects Gotham City that needed help. It was Bruce Wayne, a french bulldog, who got himself stuck in quite the predicament.
Over the weekend, the Scottsdale Police Department became the superheroes after saving a Scottsdale family's dog, Bruce Wayne, from being trapped in the underground burrow of their pet tortoise, Bianca.
Michelle Fortin thought a crime had been committed at her house. She couldn't find Bruce Wayne anywhere and assumed he was stolen from the backyard because there was just no way he could have gotten out himself.
She immediately turned to social media, alerting people in the area to keep an eye out for Bruce Wayne, who happened to have on a Batman collar.
It wasn't until Fortin heard faint barking coming from the ground that she realized what happened.
Apparently, Bruce Wayne crawled in Bianca's burrow and became trapped after the tortoise went in after him and wouldn't move.
Having no experience in situations like that, — because how often does a tortoise trap a dog underground — Fortin called the local fire department... who also didn't know what to do.
According to Fortin, the burrow was about eight feet deep and the animals were too far down to reach by hand. The firefighters didn't want to dig because they feared the burrow could collapse.
Fortin became emotional at one point when the fire captain turned to her and said, "We’re going to do what we can to give the dog the best chance."
Fortin thought she and her kids would be witnessing the death of Bruce Wayne.
A breakthrough finally came after the firefighters called a herpetologist, which is an expert on amphibians and reptiles, who advised the crew on what to do. After some careful digging and removing the roof of the burrow, Bianca popped out.
After Bianca was pulled away, Bruce Wayne popped up next, safe and sound.
A happy ending was the outcome of a very unique situation, and all it took was a fire department, a herpetologist and a stressed momma.
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