Dog That Survived Four Months Alone On Deserted Island Finally Comes Home
Posted April 7, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Jan Griffith and her distraught family had every reason to believe that their beloved pet was long gone.
The Australian family had been on a boat when they hit rough seas in Queensland four long months ago, and their precious pooch, a four-year-old named Sophie Tucker after an old U.S. entertainer, fell overboard into the roiling shark infested waters.
They weren’t able to rescue the creature and after searching for more than 90 minutes in the middle of a storm, presumed their best friend had been lost at sea. That was last November. They’d made peace with the loss until last week, when they received a stunning phone call.
Rangers had found their dog alive and ready to come home, despite the fact it had literally been lost in the middle of nowhere during a raging disturbance.
How was that possible?
The answer is that while her family gave up, Sophie Tucker never did. The animal, from an Australian breed known as a cattle dog, had somehow made it five nautical miles to an almost deserted sanctuary called Bee’s Island.
A family sailing near the island and then a caretaker discovered the dog in bad shape in March, and notified authorities. They figured out that the animal had apparently swum to the out-of-the-way refuge and had subsisted on wild baby goats that were native to the remote location.
Knowing that a family had lost their dog and figuring there was no other explanation, they phoned the Griffiths, who were alternately astounded and overjoyed by the news their friend might still be alive.
They hurried down to the dock to the meet the boat that had picked up the pooch, scarcely willing to believe it was possible.
But it was.
The dog had shied away from all contact with others but when Jan Griffith called her name, the dog started banging on the cage, trying desperately to reach the family.
According to the relieved owner, when they let her out and she ran to her husband, tail wagging and breathelessly excited, there wasn’t a dry eye on the dock.
Vets examined the dog and found her weak and in need of some medication, but otherwise in good shape.
Sophie is home now, apparently none the worse for wear, and she’s become something of a celebrity Down Under.
She has quite a story to tell and her owners say they wish she could talk so they could hear about her adventures.
For now, though, they’re just happy to have her back and it appears Sophie feels the same way, a tribute to what literally can be called the dogged persistence of a best friend who took the long way home.
