Stowaway dog survives 470km road trip in grain trailer

Comet-district grain grower Jono Armstrong described an unexpected incident during a grain pickup on his family's property last week, where one of his dogs accidentally got loaded into a grain trailer.

He explained how, Texas, his one-year-old Collie dog was likely distracted by something in the grain bucket of the loader and without notice got scooped up with at least six tonnes of grain.

"I went to load a truck with wheat and I've gone to get in the loader and Texas has jumped in the bucket without me realising," Mr Armstrong said.

"I must have then driven into the pile of wheat with Texas in the bucket and loaded him into the trailer on the road train.

"Subsequently, I've put five other bucket loads of wheat on top of him.

"From up in the loader, you're looking at the backside of the bucket and you can't see what's in the bucket."

Mr Armstrong believes Texas was likely scooped up in the first bucket load and poured into the empty trailer, before a further 20 tonnes was poured into the trailer and covered over with a tarp.

The truck has then driven 470km, about six to seven hours, to a cattle feedlot, south of Roma.

It was only when the truck driver was unloading the grain that he noticed two dog legs sticking outside the trailer chute and he was rescued.

"The truck driver had no idea until he was unloading the grain," Mr Armstrong said.

"He was unloading the grain at the feedlot and during the course of unloading, the legs of the dog have started coming out of the chute on the truck.

"The truckie stopped and got up onto the trailer and got the dog out and the rest of the grain."

"He and the farm manager were just surprised that Texas come out alive and largely unfazed. He was just a bit thirsty that's all and it didn't seem to worry him."

Mr Armstrong said the feedlot owners kindly looked after Texas until he was able to pick him up three days later.'

"We didn't realise we were missing Texas until I got home in the afternoon and received a message from the truck driver if I was missing a dog," he said.

"I'm just surprised he's managed to stay on top of the grain enough as I'm tipping the grain in there and to not be buried and suffocated by it."

Mr Armstrong said Texas was in good spirits when he collected him three days later from feedlot and returned him home.

"I'll definitely be ensuring the dogs stay away from the loader in future," Mr Armstrong said.