A Golden Retriever puppy was recently reunited with his family after being missing for over a week after falling into a coal pit.
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While hiking in Pennsylvania, Collin Leiby, an avid outdoorsman and wedding photographer, veered off a mountain trail to follow his dog. As he looked toward a deep coal pit below, he caught sight of a tail flicking near a pile of rocks. At that moment, he locked eyes with Freddy—a 6-month-old golden retriever whose disappearance had launched a weeklong search in Pottsville, a historic coal country community in eastern Pennsylvania.
Leiby had been searching for the missing dog. He eventually discovered him on Sharp Mountain, stranded about 10 feet down a coal pit. Exhausted and unable to climb out on his own, the dog awaited rescue.
“A tear came to my eye,” Leiby told the Associated Press. “I started calling his name. He slowly got up and started walking toward us.”
Freddy managed to climb partway up the icy side wall before Leiby reached down to pull him up. Offering him water and securing a spare leash, Leiby guided Freddy off the mountain with his loyal pit bull mix, Bass, by his side.
“He was crying and jumping on me,” Leiby recalled. “He was like, ‘Get me home.’”
The Golden Retriever’s Owners Searched Tirelessly for the Lost Pup
Since Freddy went missing on Feb. 17, Pam and Joe Palko spared no effort in their search. They used social media and followed every lead. The family also organized volunteers to distribute flyers across schools, churches, and the town of Pottsville. They also brought in a search dog company to track Freddy’s scent and hired a service to deploy thermal drones.
The Golden Retriever 6-month-old puppy remained missing in snowy Schuylkill County as the search continued through freezing temperatures.
“It was excessively cold,” Pam Palko explained. “We knew we would never give up, but the more that time went on throughout the week, our hopes were getting smaller.”
While responding to a false alarm at an animal shelter, Joe Palko received a home security alert about a stranger at their door with little Freddy. A neighbor also called, prompting them to rush home.
Dr. Carolyn Canizaro-Orlowsky, a retired veterinarian and their neighbor, had the privilege of witnessing the heartfelt reunion.
He just was a little frantic, hungry, and confused,” Canizaro-Orlowsky recalled “When they showed up, he started wiggling.”
The Palkos, parents to three children aged 17, 20, and 22, were devastated after losing their cherished 4-year-old dog to cancer last year. Freddy had been brought into their lives not only as a source of joy for the family but also as a companion for their 2-year-old golden retriever, Harper.
“There’s a big collective sigh of relief,” Canizaro-Orlowsky told the AP. “It’s a neat lesson not to give up.”