Pet braves bush tucker trial

When their beloved dog, Sophie Tucker, was washed off their boat in rough seas, Jan and Dave Griffith thought they would never see her again.

After all, Sophie – named after the 20th-century vaudeville star – was a typical family pet, accustomed to sleeping inside and regular meals.

Four months later, the Australian cattle dog has been found alive and well on an island off the Queensland coast, where she is believed to have survived by eating baby goats and koalas. First, though, she must have swum the five nautical miles to St Bees Island – a remarkable feat in itself. Sophie was reunited with her owners after being captured by rangers, who thought she was a wild dog. Ms Griffith said: "She had become quite wild. She wouldn't let anyone go near her. She wouldn't take food from anyone."

The dog fell overboard in choppy waters off the coastal city of Mackay in November.

"We hit a rough patch, and when we turned around, she was gone," said Ms Griffith. "We backtracked to look for her, but we just couldn't find her, and we searched for well over an hour."

A dog subsequently turned up on St Bees, at first very thin. "Then all of a sudden she started to look good and that was when they discovered she was eating baby goats," her owner said.

Sophie was reunited with her family after they heard from friends that rangers on the island had captured a dog matching her description.

Despite her experience, Sophie has swiftly re-adapted to a pampered, air-conditioned existence, and happily walks on the lead.

A RSPCA vet said yesterday that animals could turn wild when survival was at stake, then revert to domestic pet behaviour.