‘Wonder dog’ saves sheep from farm fire in Australia
The dog named Patsy. Images: Instagram/@patsythecorryongwonderdog
A dog is being hailed a hero after it helped save a flock of sheep from flames that struck a farm in Victoria, Australia.
The border collie-Australian kelpie mix named Patsy helped round up the sheep in Corryong when the fires appeared in the early hours of Dec. 31, as per Cath Hill’s Facebook post last Friday, Jan. 3.
Hill said that her brother and Patsy brought the sheep “to the safest paddock on the farm” during the incident. After getting them to safety, Hill’s brother “fought the fire with a tractor and a tank of water.”
Allow me to introduce Patsy the wonder dog. In the early hours of 31 December 2019, while fire in Corryong was bearing down them, she and my brother rounded up the sheep and brought them to the safest paddock on the farm. She then found a safe spot while my brother fought the fire with a tractor and a tank of water. Almost all sheep are safe, along with the hay bales and silage, the shearing shed, and both farm houses. My brother doesn’t do social media, but Patsy does. Great job little girl 🙂Update 7 January 2020 – Patsy and her family are busy cleaning up the farm and helping others get sorted out. You can help too! They would love you to donate to these bushfire relief fundraising collections: https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/?view=article&id=145:helping-wildlife-during-bushfires&catid=11:wildlife-informationhttps://blazeaid.com.au/donations/how-donate/https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-donateUpdate 5 January 2020 – Patsy is now on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/p/B67HA-xHJSH/?igshid=126abkbj2hytc #patsythecorryongwonderdog #strongincorryongUpdate 4 January 2020 – Patsy’s story is spreading, so for those people who would like to donate funds to help the Upper Murray community, please support these links which are confirmed to be genuine and keep sharing Patsy’s post 🙂https://www.parksideproduce.net.au/products/feed-for-fire-gift-voucherhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/xycjem-cudgewa-has-burnt?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheethttps://www.gofundme.com/f/a-little-town-and-its-community-need-some-help?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
Posted by Cath Hill on Friday, January 3, 2020
Following the incident, Hill said that “almost all sheep are safe, along with the hay bales and silage, the shearing shed, and both farm houses.” She also uploaded a video of Patsy on burnt grass, with the flock of sheep behind her.
Hill later made an Instagram account for Patsy and posted a photo of the dog in front of a burning field after bringing the sheep to safety.
Meanwhile, the account showed another angle of the flames when they hit Patsy’s and her family’s farm. The footage was taken from the town proper, while looking out towards the farm at the base of Mt. Mittamatite.
In an update of her Facebook post, Hill reassured the public yesterday that Patsy and the rest of her family were “busy cleaning up the farm and helping others get sorted out.”
She also accompanied her post with links to groups that are raising funds for bushfire relief operations such as Red Cross Australia, Wildlife Victoria and BlazeAid. JB
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