29 August,2009 07:56 AM IST | | Agencies
A goldfish survived for seven hours on a stone floor after it leapt five feet out of its tank.
Sparkle was able to survive for hours behind the dresser of the tank, covered in dog hair and fluff, according to his owner Paula Dunster (46).
Dunster noticed her daughter Kelly's 18-month-old pet was missing when she could only spot one goldfish swimming in the tank. When she asked her partner Malcolm Roy if he had removed Sparkle, he assured her he had not.
Dunster said, "We didn't know what had happened, but I thought I would get another fish because the other one was on his own.
"The man in the pet shop told me he might have jumped out of the tank so when we got back home I looked behind the dresser that the tank was on and I could see him, absolutely covered in dog hair and fluff."
She did not have the heart to flush Sparkle away, so decided to clean him off under a tap. As she did, Sparkle began breathing.
"I was really shocked and my daughter said it was a miracle. It had been down there for so long covered in all hair," said Dunster.