Libby Hobday

When I was attending Drouin Secondary College (high school), although everybody told me not to, I bought a blue heeler mutt in the main town near me - Warragul.  I named her Mainey and she was my best friend. Mainey went everywhere with me, and never on a leash. She came on trains and buses, even nightclubs (not a word of a lie).  She was always walking right along side of me. In the city if I ever went into a restaurant she would sit outside, not move, and wait for me. Sometimes I drank for hours into the night and she would sit and just sit, and I am talking bustling Melbourne city.

Anyway, Mainey died recently she was 16 years old; she was bitten by a snake in my parent’s yard.  I loved her so much.

Where I am going with this is Sophie the Blue Heeler (aka cattle dog) from Sydney looks exactly like her.

Sophie was with her human parents on a casual summer cruise this past summer in Australia (opposite time to an American summer). The water became rough and Sophie fell overboard. The boat turned around and everybody on board called her name and searched and searched, but as it was a cloudy day eventually they had no but choice to bail on the search assuming that she Sophie had probably drowned, and if not a great white shark would soon make her dinner!!

But little old Sophie did not drown and the sharks did not get her, instead she swam five nautical miles right through the shark invested waters and stormy seas to St Bees Island. Once at St Bees the wonder dog survived around 4 months killing wild goats, until she was captured by wildlife officers.

The miracle of this story is somehow her family heard whispers that a Blue Heeler had been found, and went on their way to where they found their beloved Sophie.

Amazing right? Such a beautiful story. I just wish she could talk…