Lawrence was voted Stoke's Player of the Year last season
Stoke City midfielder Liam Lawrence has confirmed he will miss Sunday's trip to Portsmouth after tripping over his pet Labrador and injuring his ankle.
He told BBC Radio Stoke: "It was in the middle of the night, the dog lies on the stairs and I didn't see him.
"I trod on him, realised what I'd done, tried to go to the next step, gone over on my ankle and fallen down the stairs.
"I'll miss the weekend, then it's the international break. Hopefully I'll be back after that."
Lawrence did however confirm that his Labrador did not suffer any injuries - and he is prepared to let sleeping dogs lie.
"The dog's fine," he said. "I could have killed him at the time, but he's intact.
"I've had a lot of stick, the lads have been ribbing me and I've heard a few things on the telly and on the radio. It's just a bit of banter."
Lawrence, who will also miss the game between a Republic of Ireland XI and Nottingham Forest, says his disappointment is compounded by the fact it is not a footballing injury.
"When it doesn't happen on the pitch or on the training ground then it's more disappointing and I'm sure the gaffer won't be best pleased either."
Lawrence, Stoke's player of the year last season, is not the first professional footballer to have suffered an unlikely injury.
Former Everton goalkeeper Richard Wright was once injured falling from his loft - on Friday 13th - and another time during a pre-match warm-up when he tripped over a sign on the pitch at Stamford Bridge warning players not to warm up in that area.
Another goalkeeper, Dave Beasant, injured himself by dropping a jar of salad cream on his foot, and diminutive former Aston Villa full-back Alan Wright strained his knee stretching to reach the accelerator pedal on his new Ferrari.
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