A dog that had been lost in the Australian wilderness for almost a month was joyfully reunited with her owner thanks to a family who stumbled upon her during their outing. The family was exploring Mt. Glorious National Park, situated near Brisbane in Queensland, when they caught sight of something unusual near a creek.
“My husband and I brought my dad along to explore some rock pools in a quiet area of Mt Glorious National Park. While walking alongside the creek, we noticed a flicker in one of the deeper pools,” shared Imgur user dangerm0use. “Initially thinking it was a kangaroo or perhaps a platypus, we approached carefully, only to be met by the saddest little face looking back at us.”
They were unsure if the animal was wild or domestic but felt compelled to help. “There was no way we could leave her stranded in the icy water. She seemed completely drained from her attempts to escape the deep part she had fallen into and surely wouldn’t have survived the night.”
With cautious movements, they fashioned a rope around the dog’s shoulders and hoisted her out of the muddy depths. “Surprisingly, the dog showed no signs of aggression; she timidly made her way up the bank, seeking refuge in the tough lantana bushes near the pool.”
Noticing that the dog had been spayed, they speculated that she might have been someone’s cherished pet who either got lost or was abandoned. Leaving her behind was not an option. “She was trapped in a harsh area of the bush, wedged in a gully with steep cliffs on one side and an impassable rocky bank leading to a busy road on the other.” There were no homes nearby, making her escape nearly impossible.
The dog, hesitant to join them, forced the family to follow her into the dense underbrush. “As we quietly approached her hiding place, we discovered she had created a little den in the bank, even tunneling through the lantana down towards the waterhole.”
They lingered nearby, observing her reactions. “She looked very downcast and clearly tired,” recalls dangerm0use. “Although she was still cautious, she wasn’t aggressive. Eventually, I decided to take a risk and gently scratched her head… she responded with a sweet lick on my hand.”
Realizing the dog was rather hefty, they affectionately named her “Miss Piggy” as they devised a plan to rescue her from the woods.
They opted for a makeshift harness using the climbing ropes they had brought, understanding that Miss Piggy was too fatigued to climb over the large boulders. The bank was steep, tangled with vines, and littered with loose stones. “We all found ourselves snagged on the vines, while Miss Piggy barely made any headway.”
During their ascent, Miss Piggy wriggled free from her harness and darted away. “She bolted for her escape route beneath the lantana, and I raced after her, desperate to prevent her flight,” says dangerm0use.
“Feeling understandably scared and drained, we decided to wait a bit longer, allowing her time to relax, showering her with gentle pats and soothing words. The little darling showed gratitude for our patience by inching closer, resting her head on my leg. I had been hesitant to engage too closely, but she clearly invited me for a comforting cuddle.”
It quickly became apparent that they needed a strategy to get her up the slope. “My husband had a fantastic idea when he remembered the large canvas bag stashed in our car. We thought that if we could get her into the bag, we could rig up a system to carry her out.” Fortunately, she fit perfectly!
The boys attempted a lift to see if they could manage her weight. By their estimates, Miss Piggy weighed around 40 kg (88 lbs).
While that weight might not pose a problem on flat terrain, they were wary of the risks involved in dropping or sliding her down the bank.
They searched for a sturdy branch and secured it through the bag’s handles, enabling them to hoist Miss Piggy over the tangled lantana and vines.
After a grueling 30-minute trek through the bush, they finally reached the road, exhausted yet relieved.
We carefully guided Miss Piggy along the roadside to our parked car.
Once inside the backseat and cruising down the winding mountain path, Miss Piggy couldn’t stop beaming.
By the time we were headed home, she appeared much more at ease. When we opened the back door, we were met with a delightful surprise—her little tail wagging like crazy!
Once we reached home, we fed Miss Piggy and shared her picture on a local Facebook page dedicated to lost pets. Just thirty minutes later, a message popped up! The owner lived about 15 kilometers from where we had found her, explaining that she had gone missing from his yard on June 30, 2016.
We were thrilled until he referred to her as “Bob,” and our hearts dropped, assuming he had lost a male dog. Fortunately, he clarified that “Elly-Bobby”—named after Ricky Bobby—was indeed his beloved girl. He had ample proof of her identity with various physical traits. Bobby’s dad had launched a massive social media and poster campaign to find her, tirelessly searching every evening since her disappearance, holding onto hope for her return.
Now, nearly a month later, on July 23, Elly-Bobby was finally going home!
The reunion between Bobby and his cherished girl was filled with joy. It was a truly heartwarming moment to witness.
Dangerm0use expresses confusion over Elly-Bobby’s situation during her absence, noting her surprisingly good health. They have no clue how she ended up in such a remote area, showing “no apparent injuries and only minimal signs of exposure.”
It’s possible she was rescued and later abandoned or that she found a temporary refuge without staying long. What’s certain is their relief at being “in the right place at the right time” to assist her.
Spread the word about Bobby’s incredible rescue with your loved ones!
Amr Mohsen is a software engineer who traded his keyboard for a leash — at least on weekends. His love for dogs inspired him to share what he learns as a dog owner and enthusiast, bringing a detail-oriented, research-driven perspective to every article he writes. If it’s about dogs, he’s probably already looked it up twice.
