Maggie the wonder dog defies the odds to return home
FEEL GOOD
The story of courage, resilience, and determination of a 10-year-old cattle dog named Maggie has captured the hearts of the region.
Maggie’s owners, Billy and Michelle Dunn, spent a very worried 48 hours separated from their beloved hound when she was swept away in the floodwaters of the Bloomfield River on Australia Day this year.
Maggie, Billy, and Michelle have lived in Degarra, located at the northern end of the Bloomfield Track near Wujal Wujal, for about 40 years.
At the time of the floods, Mr Dunn was working in Cooktown and Mrs Dunn was home alone with Maggie.
“It was about midnight - she just jumped on the bed and was a bit wet,” Mr Dunn said.
“My wife yelled out at the dog, then got out of bed and there was about six inches of water in the bedroom.
“Maggie had run out to the veranda and got caught in the flood water.”
Their house was one of the eight flooded in the small suburb, which has a population of 30 residents.
The Dunns believe Maggie spent almost two days tirelessly paddling back up the Bloomfield River.
They think she must have spotted a light from a house on a nearby hill and headed straight to it.
“We had given up,” Mr Dunn said.
“Maggie somehow got back through the bloody jungle … it took her about two days to swim back with the tides going out and coming back in.
“Right on cue, our house was flooded and our dog was done – it was the last straw. But, when we got our dog back, it was time for us get back on the road to recovery.”
“She has never been that clean in her life.”
The story of Maggie emerged during the Douglas Shire Council’s check-in visits to towns affected by the Australia Day flooding.
Mayor Julia Leu prasied the pooch as a hero and said her resilience is a shining example of the spirit of the Douglas Shire.
“Maggie is definitely the hero of Degarra,” Mayor Leu said.
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