Tibetan spaniel Misha survived five months in near Broken Hill in NSW outback after running from car crash scene
A young lapdog has survived five months in the predator-filled outback after sprinting from the scene of a car crash.
Misha was just over a year old when her owners Karen and Gary Tucker had an accident 70 km south of Broken Hill on the way to Wentworth in the New South Wales outback at the end of May.
Ms Tucker was driving a ute with 15 dogs in the back, hit a pothole and rolled three times. She was seriously injured and trapped in the vehicle.
Mr Tucker, who was following in another vehicle, called for help and his wife was rushed to intensive care.
The dogs were miraculously unharmed, but two of them, a Tibetan spaniel Misha, and a 14-month-old chihuahua, Baxter, panicked and fled the scene.
When Karen Tucker’s ute rolled three times south of Broken Hill, two of her dogs, a Tibetan spaniel Misha, and a 14-month-old chihuahua, Baxter, panicked and fled into the surrounding desert.
While riding with fifteen dogs in the back, Mrs. Tucker hit a pothole and rolled three times. She was seriously injured and trapped in the vehicle. In the photo: the scene of the accident, 70 km south of Broken Hill
After wandering the desert for five months, the lure of treats got the better of Misha, who wandered into Mr Harrison’s fox trap (pictured)
They encountered a vast and rugged red sand desert known to be home to several predators more than capable of killing a 5kg dog measuring just 25cm in length.
These include wedge-tailed eagles, several venomous species of snakes and goannas.
But Mrs. Tucker refused to believe that this was the end of her fur babies.
She posted missing photos of both dogs on social media several times.
A month after the crash, she posted a photo of them both with the message: “Please help find my babies.” A month later again: ‘I never give up’.
She and Mr. Tucker hired drones and even gyrocopters to search for the runaways.
One day, Grazier Mitch Harrison saw a small dog running around his 56,000-acre property. Then his sister saw it too, and his mother.
After it was spotted while he was investigating the family’s driveway, Mr Harrison installed an infrared camera and a fox trap.
Tibetan Spaniels are an ancient dog that was bred thousands of years ago as companions for monks.
They are considered assertive and independent and are nicknamed ‘Little Lions’, but more for their appearance than their temperament.
They are known to need contact with their people and do not respond well to being left alone for long periods of time.
Ultimately, the lure of treats got the better of Misha, who wandered into the trap.
Tiny Misha somehow survived five months in a predator-filled house that is home to several predators, including wedge-tailed eagles and brown snakes, which are more than capable of killing a small dog
A wary Mr. Harrison expected the starving pup to snap and snap at him, but she immediately gave in to her nature. In the photo: a cheerful-looking Misha after much-needed human contact
Misha, who weighed about 5kg, could easily have attracted the attention of a goanna, which is known to consider anything smaller than itself as potential prey
A wary Mr. Harrison expected the starving pup to snap and snap at him, but she immediately gave in to her nature.
“(I thought) it might bite or something like that, so I put my hand in… and it was very happy to get a pat,” Mr Harrison told the ABC.
He wasn’t sure what the dog ate to survive, but thought it was kangaroo and insects, which are plentiful in the desert.
Mr Harrison thought it best to bathe the affectionate pup, who smelled like she had spent five months in the desert.
When the Tuckers came to pick Misha up, she knew them immediately.
“When Gary went there and saw her, I thought, ‘I know my dad’ and the tail just kept wagging.”
She “jumped” into Mrs. Tucker’s arms.
Although the Chihuahua is a hardy animal, it is also the smallest dog breed in the world. Unfortunately, Baxter remains at large.
But that hasn’t deterred Mrs Tucker, who described both dogs as ‘resilient’. She believes Baxter will be found too.
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