A Golden Retriever pup named Freddy is back home with his family in Pennsylvania after a frigid weeklong search that ended with his rescue from an abandoned coal pit
POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania hiker had followed his dog off a mountain trail when he happened to glance toward a deep coal pit below and spotted movement near a pile of rocks.
Collin Leiby, an experienced hiker and wedding photographer, locked eyes with the animal and immediately recognized Freddy, a 6-month-old Golden Retriever whose disappearance had triggered an extensive weeklong search in Pottsville, a town in eastern Pennsylvania’s historic coal region. Leiby, who had been keeping an eye out for the missing pup, finally located him Monday on Sharp Mountain—about 10 feet (3 meters) down in the pit, too exhausted to climb out on his own.
“A tear came to my eye,” said Leiby, 33, who lives just a few blocks from Freddy’s home. “I started calling his name. He slowly got up and began walking toward us.”
As Freddy attempted to scale the icy wall, Leiby reached down and pulled him to safety. He gave the pup some water, clipped a spare leash onto him, and led him off the mountain alongside his own dog, a pit bull mix named Bass.
“He was crying and jumping on me,” Leiby said. “It was like he was saying, ‘Get me home.’”
Pam and Joe Palko had done everything they could since Freddy went missing on Feb. 17. They turned to social media, followed up on leads, and organized a team of volunteers to distribute flyers across schools, churches, and neighborhoods in Pottsville. They even enlisted a search dog company and another team that used thermal drones to scan the area.
Although those efforts helped rule out certain locations, Freddy remained missing as the days passed and temperatures in snow-covered Schuylkill County plunged into the single digits.
“It was unbearably cold,” said Pam Palko, a financial planner and mother of three. “We knew we wouldn’t give up, but as time stretched on, our hopes were fading.”
Then, just before dusk on Monday, the couple was checking yet another false lead at a nearby animal shelter when Joe Palko got a notification from their home security camera. A stranger was at their door—with Freddy. At the same time, their neighbor called. The couple rushed home.
“He was a little frantic, hungry, and disoriented,” said their neighbor, Dr. Carolyn Canizaro-Orlowsky, a retired veterinarian. “But as soon as they arrived, he started wiggling with excitement.”
For the Palkos, whose children are 17, 20, and 22, Freddy’s disappearance had been particularly devastating. Just last year, they lost a beloved 4-year-old dog to cancer. Freddy had been their new companion—not only for themselves but also for their 2-year-old Golden Retriever, Harper.
Freddy, who originally weighed around 45 pounds (20 kilograms), had lost at least 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) during the ordeal and was visibly worn out. But despite his rough week, he was in good health. The Palkos are beyond grateful—for his return and for the incredible support from their community.
“There’s a huge collective sigh of relief,” said Canizaro-Orlowsky. “It’s a powerful reminder to never give up.”