Dogged Hobo turns 'ruff' luck

Caitriona Murtagh

Thursday, July 31, 2008

IS THIS the Far North's very own Littlest Hobo?

He may not be a stray german shepherd like in the 1980s hit television series but this little blue heeler battler seems to have wandered the streets on his own for weeks with a broken paw before he strolled through the gates of the RSPCA shelter in Cairns.

Staff say his lone appearance last week was a mystery.

"He was a bit underweight and smelly," shelter manager Kate Barnard said yesterday.

"We had to give him a good scrub … you should’ve seen him. We’re calling him the Little Australian Hobo – he could have been out there for weeks fending for himself.

"He has a previously broken paw from probably falling off the back of the ute."

Ms Barnard said Little Hobo’s foot healed without seeing a vet and she reckons this tough street-wise hound is about two years old.

She said she had seen only a few other dogs wander alone through the gates of the RSPCA in Cairns.

"He is smart, very obedient and a beautifully natured dog," Ms Barnard said.

"But it is going to be pretty hard to adopt him out with the way his leg is. We’d really like to find his owners."

View our pets picture gallery.

<strong>Paw thing: </strong>Cairns’ own Littlest Hobo, who wandered into the RSPCA shelter alone, with manager Kate Barnard.

Paw thing: Cairns’ own Littlest Hobo, who wandered into the RSPCA shelter alone, with manager Kate Barnard.

Detectives involved in the case arrive to court.

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<strong>Waiting game:</strong> Health Minister Stephen Robertson discusses the Cairns Base Hospital with Barron River MP Steve Wettenhall yesterday.

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Kendal Schuler, 16, as she will appear in an eight-page swimwear special for Cosmo magazine.

Look at our Kendal now

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Tourism Minister and Cairns MP Desley Boyle has welcomed a huge number of accommodation bookings in the Far North.

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