The Pennsylvania hiker was chasing his dog off the mountain path this week as he gazed upon the deep coal pit below and saw its tail move near a mountain of rock.
Avid hiker and wedding photographer Colin Liby knew he was Freddie, a six-month golden retriever who had a week-long search in Pottsville, a historic coal country community in eastern Pennsylvania.
Liby was on guard for the missing dog and eventually found him on Monday in Sharp Mountain, about 10 feet down the coal pit.
“Tears came to my eyes,” said 33-year-old Liby, who lives a few blocks from the dog's house. “I began to call his name. He slowly rose to his feet and began walking towards us.”
Freddie breastfed the icy sidewalls while Livy reached over and grabbed him. He gave him water, clipped a spare leash on top of him, and walked Freddie out of the mountain with his dog, a pit bull mix named Bass.
“He was crying and jumping at me,” said Liby. “He was like, 'I'm going home.' ”
Pam and Joe Parco have pulled out all the stops since Freddie went missing on February 17th. They took me to social media.
They followed the hint. They organized a group of volunteers to distribute flyers to schools, churches and towns in Pottsville.
They hired a company that used search dogs to track missing pets.
It helped to rule some places.
However, as the week was worn, there were no signs of a six-month old puppy yet.
“It was overly cold,” said Pam Parco, a financial planner and mother of three. “We knew we would never give up, but the more time passed through that time, the less our hopes became.”
They were chasing one of the many false alarms at a nearby animal shelter just before Monday when Joe Parco got an alert from his home security cameras.
A stranger was at the door with Freddie. Then their neighbor called. They ran to the house.
“He was a bit desperate, hungry and confused,” said Dr. Carolyn Kanizaro Orlowski, a retired veterinarian from a neighbor. “When they showed up, he began to wiggle.”
Parcos, whose children are 17, 20 and 22 years old, was particularly heartfelt after losing his beloved 4-year-old dog to cancer last year. They got Freddie not only for themselves, but also to give other golden retrievers, a 2-year-old Harper, and a new companion.
He weighs about 45 pounds, losing at least 10 pounds from the ordeal, a bit worse in wear, but otherwise healthy.
Parcos is grateful for that and thankful to the community that has come to such length to reunite them.
“There's a massive collective relief sigh,” said Kanisaro Orlovsky. “Don't give up is a decent lesson.”
