Sophie

Sophie The incredible true adventures of the castaway dog

Emma Pearse

Book - 2012

This is the story of a dog's journey back to her family. Sophie Tucker, a three-year-old Australian blue heeler, goes overboard into the predator infested waters of the Great Barrier Reef, and Sophie's heartbroken family has given her up for lost; little do they know that Sophie swam six miles to an isolated nature preserve called St. Bees, where she survived unassisted for five months by living off the land. The story of her survival and rescue is nothing short of miraculous. The author, a journalist dives into Sophie's story and re-creates the accident and Sophie's improbable journey. She tells the story from the perspectives of Sophie, her family, and the scientists on St. Bees who found her. Interwoven with researc...h on the emotional lives of animals and interviews with animal experts, including Temple Grandin, Sophie offers undeniable proof about the unbreakable animal-human bond. It is a story of the resilience of the human and animal spirit.

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Subjects
Sophie (Dog)
Dogs > Australia > Biography.
Human-animal relationships.
Published
Boston, Mass. : Da Capo Press 2012.
Language
English
Main Author
Emma Pearse (-)
Edition
First Da Capo Press edition
Item Description
"First published as Sophie: Dog Overboard in Australia in 2011, and Great Britain 2012" -- Title page verso.
Physical Description
307 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Include bibliographical references (pages [306]-307).
ISBN
9780738214672
  • Map: Mackay and the South Cumberland Islands
  • Map: South Cumberland Islands National Park
  • Introduction: Lone Dog in the Wild ...
  • 1. Every Girl Needs a Dog, Mom ...
  • 2. The Special One
  • 3. An Empty Nest, Some Sulking, and a Griffith Dog Makes History
  • 4. All Aboard Honey May
  • 5. Dog Overboard
  • 6. Something Awful Happened
  • 7. The Castaway Dog
  • 8. One Foot in Front of the Other
  • 9. Sophie Takes Another Swim
  • 10. Ruby Arrives
  • 11. Robinson Blue Dog
  • 12. So Near and Yet So Far
  • 13. St. Bees' Koalas and a Very Hungry Dog
  • 14. The Rangers Set a Trap
  • 15. ... Sounds Like It Could Be Your Dog
  • 16. Hey Tuck, Where've You Been?
  • 17. Sophie Goes Domestic and the Story Goes Viral
  • 18. Nobody Else's Girl
  • Map: Sophie's Journey
  • Acknowledgments
  • Picture Acknowledgments
  • About the Author
  • Further Reading
Review by Booklist Review

When an Australian blue-heeler dog was found on the mostly uninhabited island of St. Bees, in the shark-infested waters of the Great Barrier Reef, national park rangers wondered how she came to be there. They spent months trying to capture her, slowly winning her trust, unaware that she'd fallen overboard from a boat on a family outing. Australian journalist Pearse recounts the story of how Sophie survived for five months in the wild as a castaway on the island before allowing herself to be rescued. Pearse speculates what the journey must have been like for the three-year-old dog, alone in the ocean, swimming six nautical miles from where she'd fallen overboard. Pearse also recalls how Sophie's owner, a teenage girl, Bridget, met the puppy, fell in love, and raised Sophie until the day she was lost to the family. Pearse interweaves research on the bonds between animals and their owners, including an interview with animal expert Temple Grandin. Dog lovers will appreciate this heartwarming story of animal survival and the ties between humans and animals.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The "incredible true story" of Sophie begins when the titular Australian cattle dog falls overboard during a boat ride at Mackay Marina in Queensland, Australia. Instead of drowning, Sophie swims six miles to an island and survives for five months until she's miraculously reunited with her owners, Jan and Dave Griffith. Anna-Lisa Horton narrates in a clear, conversational tone, maintaining listener interest throughout, even during dry sections of the book, e.g., passages detailing the movement and speed of the tide and descriptions of the flora and fauna on Keswick Island, where Sophie eventually washes up. A must listen for animal lovers and fans of man's best friend. A De Capo Lifelong hardcover. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

This emotionally uplifting saga of a Queensland, Australia, family who lost overboard their beloved blue heeler dog, Sophie, while on a weekend boating trip reflects the strength and loyal spirit of these people and canines. Journalist Pearse writes of how the Griffiths were sure Sophie could never have survived the over-five-mile swim in heavy storm currents and shark-infested waters to the nearest islands, but their pampered but hardy family pet somehow made it to a nearby inhospitable, uninhabited island. Facing dehydration and starvation, a desperate Sophie plunged back into the ocean two months later and braved the long swim to neighboring St. Bees island, a large nature preserve with only 14 inhabitants. Concern for the safety of the rare, indigenous koala population on St. Bees meant that, by law, the wary and reclusive Sophie's days were numbered unless she could be safely relocated. Nearly five months after her disappearance, the Griffiths were stunned to learn that a dog found on St. Bees could be their cherished Sophie. VERDICT Animal lovers and survival story enthusiasts will enjoy this riveting, true story, told with strong local flavor.-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco P.L., NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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