‘poddy-dodging’

In Australia, the common term for the theft of cattle is ‘cattle duffing’ (the offender being a ‘cattle duffer’, and for the theft of sheep ‘sheep rustling’ (and a ‘sheep rustler’).

An informal expression for the theft of unbranded calves is known as ‘poddy dodging’, although the term is not used in regular parlance.

The origin of term is from the 1920s, formed from ‘poddy’ (in the Australian sense ‘calf’) and ‘dodge’.  The culprit is a poddy-dodger.  The practice most commonly occurs with the theft of young cattle, perhaps from a neighbouring property, which are then marked by the new ‘owner’ as their own.

In Croydon in Far North Queensland, an annual Poddy-Dodger’s Festival celebrates the town’s notoriety as Australia’s cattle duffing capital. You can read more about the festival here and it’s origins.

Stock theft, though, is a very serious matter with social and economic consequences – and rising meat and wool prices is contributing to the targeting of cattle and sheep.

Croydon, Queensland (from Google Maps)