Section 217
The Gardener and his Dog explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well, from which his master used to draw water for the plants in his garden with a rope and a bucket. Failing to get the Dog out by means of these, the Gardener went down into the well himself in order to fetch him up. But the Dog thought he ha...
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Public-domain original
A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well, from which his master used to
draw water for the plants in his garden with a rope and a bucket.
Failing to get the Dog out by means of these, the Gardener went down
into the well himself in order to fetch him up. But the Dog thought he
had come to make sure of drowning him; so he bit his master as soon as
he came within reach, and hurt him a good deal, with the result that
he left the Dog to his fate and climbed out of the well, remarking,
"It serves me quite right for trying to save so determined a suicide."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well, from which his master used to draw water for the plants in his garden with a rope and a bucket.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it turns a common human habit into a short lesson about judgment and consequences.
Characters in this scene
- The Gardener: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
- his Dog: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
Simple story version
A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well, from which his master used to draw water for the plants in his garden with a rope and a bucket. Failing to get the Dog out by means of these, the Gardener went down into the well himself in order to fetch him up.