By Helena Adeloju
Five of six Maremma Sheepdog puppies stolen from a Tooradin Station Road farm in Cardinia on Tuesday 7 March, have been reunited with their owner.
On Tuesday 21 March, Maremma Breeder Silvano Traverso received the news he had be praying for, when Station Street Veterinary Clinic in Kooweerup called to say a jogger had found the pups abandoned at the Torradin Primary School and brought them in.
Mr Traverso first appealed to the wider Melbourne community for help on Neil Mitchell’s 3AW radio program for help.
At the time the puppies – worth about $1000 each – had been missing for almost three weeks and he feared they may have died.
Mr Traverso said he never expected the media interest that followed.
Channel Ten, Channel 9 and Channel 7 featured his story in news bulletins on Monday 20 March, but Mr Traverso said he hadn’t expected a good result so soon.
“It’s less that 48 hours,” he said. “Thirty-six hours after 3AW and the pups have turned up,” he said.
When Mr Traverso arrived at the vet clinic just after noon on Wednesday 22 March to take the puppies home he was elated and relieved to see “five out of six alive and pretty well.”
“I’m high without drugs. I’m high on love,” he said.
“The clouds are hanging about me and I’m not sure how far below me earth is.”
Mr Traverso is still appealing for the safe return of the last missing puppy.
“Puppy number six, feel it in your heart, needs to be with his brothers and sisters and mum,” he said. “Please have the puppy returned in the kindest way possible.”
Mr Traverso also expressed his gratitude to the jogger who discovered the abandoned pups.
“Pretty good work jogger,” he said. “Thank you.”
Maremma Sheepdogs were made famous in the last couple of years by the movie Oddball about the dog that guarded penguins.
“Maremmas are usually wonderfully diligent guard dogs,” Mr Traverso said. “For over 2000 years in Italy they’ve been doing the job of being loving, bonding guardians to children, livestock and homes and property,” Mr Traverso said.
Three of the pups had been promised to families before they disappeared, who will be excitedly awaiting their delivery in the next few weeks now that they have been found.
