Dog’s wanderlust

By Tania Martin
A COCKATOO woman is calling for anyone who may have seen her 15-year-old Shetland Sheepdog walking from Cockatoo to Emerald because she is trying to find out where her dog went on its eight-hour adventure.
Pam Sheppard from Cockatoo said her dog, Shelley, went missing when she was taking her for a walk and was found eight hours later wandering past the Emerald Community Hall.
Mrs Sheppard is now calling for anyone who might have seen Shelley walking along the side of the road on Friday, 21 July.
“I just want to know how she walked from Cockatoo to Emerald because her back leg muscles are wasting away and she finds it hard to walk long distances,” she said.
Mrs Sheppard was walking Shelley and her other dog when she noticed that she was missing.
She said Shelley doesn’t normally wear a lead because she does not need to be restrained.
But at one point during the walk she looked around and noticed that Shelley was missing.
Mrs Sheppard then went home to ring her husband to tell him what had happened to see if he could come home from work to help look for the dog.
She then quickly made some fliers about Shelley and headed back to where she was last seen.
Mrs Sheppard feared Shelley was lying injured or sick on the side of the road because she had a stroke last year.
After several hours of searching, Mrs Sheppard was notified that Shelley had been spotted walking past the Emerald Community Hall and taken to the local vet. “Shelley’s only ever done this once about six years ago, but she had enough sense to find her way home.
“I think she just went on a bit of an adventure and had no idea where she was going.
“We are now calling her ‘Shelley the wonder dog’,” she said.
Anyone who may have seen Shelley on her adventure can contact Pam on 5968 8227.