Border collie risks its life saving a flock of sheep from wall of fire in Australia
The 2019 brush fires in the country of Australia are massive in size. To date, the fires have burned over 38,000 square miles of brush and killed 25 people so far. To put the fires in perspective, the amount of land burned is almost the size of England. One dog and her owner braved the fires on New Year’s Day to make sure their sheep were safe from the encroaching fires.
Patsy works hard to save her owner’s flock of sheep
The border collie, named Patsy, is from the rural town of Corryong located in Victoria, Australia. As Patsy and her owner rounded up the flock of sheep, they could see the fires in the distance. Patsy was able to direct them to a paddock that was at a great enough distance from the fires so that the sheep would be safe.
Cath Hill, Patsy’s owner’s sister talked about the dog on Instagram:
“Cool as a cucumber, Patsy waited with [her owner] until the fire got close enough to fight with a tractor and water pump.”
Patsy and her owner saved more than just the sheep
Both dog and owner, who doesn’t use social media, worked to save various items and structures on the farm, in addition to the sheep, including hay bales, a shearing shed, and both of the farmhouses located on the property. All of these were saved due to the hard work of Patsy and her owner.
The wildfires have ravaged the country
Hill spoke about the devastating wildfires in an interview with Metro:
“Everyone is just trying to get water and feed to their animals, shoot the ones that can’t be saved, get temporary fences up to keep stock secure, and put out all the logs and stumps still burning. And there’s people who have nothing left but the clothes on their backs.”
It’s only going to get worse
Fortunately, for the country, the cooler weather has helped to prevent the wildfires from spreading as much as they could have, according to Hill. Fears are that the wildfires could get much worse, though, as the country is right in the middle of its summer season, which makes the brush dry, to begin with.
“They are expected to get worse around Thursday this week (January 6) when hot windy weather returns. It’s unbelievable and it’s only going to get worse. That’s why we put Patsy’s story out there. People need something positive.”
Hill hopes the video of Patsy can help raise awareness of the wildfires
The video of the border collie as she takes a break from corralling the sheep went viral, getting over 5,000 shares since Hill has uploaded it online. Hill hopes that the video can help raise awareness of the fires and get people to donate. To donate visit the Australian Red Cross Website.
For more on Patsy, visit her Instagram page. Here is the video of Patsy which has gained so much attention.
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