Dog disappears without a trace for months – then a stranger hears barking from the brush

Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania - Sandy the golden retriever took off when she heard a sound she didn't like. The dog was missing for two months afterwards – until a stranger heard an unusual noise coming from the woods.

Kaitlyn Kolinsky and her family hung up missing dog posters with this picture of Sandy.
Kaitlyn Kolinsky and her family hung up missing dog posters with this picture of Sandy.  © Facebook/Screenshot/Kaitlyn Kolinsky

The golden retriever was with her owner Kaitlyn Kolinsky at a dog park in Tobyhanna when she panicked and took off with her leash still attached.

According to WBBH-TV, the loud noise that scared the animal came from an adjacent skate park.

With the help of her family, Kaitlyn Kolinsky launched a large-scale search for her beloved canine companion in the days that followed. In addition to flyers and lots of calls to nearby animal shelters, Kolinsky shared the news that Sandy was missing on Facebook.

Dog has the most dramatic reaction to owner's late arrival
Dogs Dog has the most dramatic reaction to owner's late arrival

The family did everything they could to find the beloved pooch, but there was no sign of Sandy.

It seemed like the animal had disappeared off the face of the earth!

Kaitlyn Kolinsky can't believe her luck

Kaitlyn Kolinsky is overjoyed to have her dog Sandy back.
Kaitlyn Kolinsky is overjoyed to have her dog Sandy back.  © Facebook/Screenshot/Kaitlyn Kolinsky

In early February, Brian Neipert, a man who had seen the missing dog posters and even went looking for the retriever back in November, heard distant barking.

"I was working and came out of my garage. I heard a dog barking. I thought it was a fox or coyote. It wasn’t...," Neipert told WBBH-TV.

He grabbed a flashlight and went to see what the racket was. That's when he found Sandy, who had gotten her leash tangled in a tree in a wooded area and couldn't get free. "It was stuck under some trees, its leash had got stuck. I guess it was there since it got lost or a little after it got lost," Neipert said.

US moves to save once-common monarch butterflies from extinction
Animals US moves to save once-common monarch butterflies from extinction

The man doesn't live far from the park where Sandy first took off and it's possible that she was stuck in the same wooded area for the last few months.

Luckily, the dog was unharmed. She was just very skinny and dehydrated. Kolinsky still can't believe that someone found her long-lost pooch. She's got plenty of pent-up cuddles to share in the next few weeks.

That's exactly what a Facebook video posted on Monday shows: two reunited friends who can't get enough of each other.

Cover photo: Facebook/Screenshot/Kaitlyn Kolinsky

More on Dogs: