WASHINGTON TWP. | The chance to see "Bruiser -- The World's Biggest Dog" roaming the grounds at the Porter County Fair was enough to get me and apparently countless other fair-goers excited Wednesday.

I searched for Bruiser for almost four hours -- during which time I asked the police, the trolley operators and The Stilt Walker Guy (you'd think he'd have spotted the dog from his tall vantage point) -- but never saw the dog.

But I talked to a few who did.

Porter County police Major Steve Lawrence, who could cover more ground by using a golf cart, said he spotted the dog.

"He's not real," Lawrence said, adding it's a guy in a dog costume.

One of the people who had greyhounds out at the fair said he, too, had spotted a giant dog. He agreed the dog wasn't real, but said it might be worth seeing. Two co-workers, however, weren't impressed after their encounters, calling Bruiser lame and raggedy.

I wasn't the only one who was looking for Bruiser. After asking several people if there had been any Bruiser sightings, most said no. But a lot of the people said I wasn't the first to inquire about the giant canine.

Even The Stilt Walker Guy said he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Bruiser. By the way, I wasn't looking for The Stilt Walker Guy, but managed to cross paths with him three times.

As Bruiser might say, it was a "ruff, ruff" day.