twice rescued from a drainage hole in Paget last Friday, was claimed by its owner on Tuesday at the Bermuda Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter.

Inspector for the SPCA, Mr. Louis Ray said the owner was from Paget and the dog got away during a move to a new address. The owner "had been looking for him all over the place,'' Insp. Ray said.

Other than its blindness, the aging, dark-tanned dog was "in good condition'' and had visited a veterinarian two weeks ago, Insp. Ray said.

Government vet Dr. Neil Burnie pulled the dog from a drainage hole just off South Road shortly after 5 p.m. last Friday. When Dr. Burnie climbed back out of the five-foot hole and approached the dog, it shied away before falling in for the second time.

Dr. Burnie said the dog, which appeared to suffer from chronic scarring of the corneas in his eyes, was likely following a well-travelled route and did not see the collapsed cover for the drainage hole.

After he again rescued the dog, which was not wearing a collar, Dr. Burnie took it to the SPCA shelter. The owner, who Insp. Ray would not identify, was charged a detention fee, he said.

Although Dr. Burnie said the dog's destruction was imminent, Insp. Ray said that would only have happened if the SPCA could not afford to keep it. The SPCA normally only destroys dogs at the owner's request, he said.

HOMEWARD BOUND -- the blind German shepherd with SPCA inspector Mr. Louis Ray.