After Thanksgiving, a campus community joined together to locate their house dog upon discovering the Golden Retriever missing. Now, the University of Michigan sorority celebrates the return of Kappa Delta’s house dog, Peach. The prodigal pup was reunited with the sorority and her owner after missing for four months.
Golden Retriever Missing for 4 Months Returns to Campus
“(Peach) was staying with a friend over Thanksgiving, because I went to Florida, and she has really bad separation anxiety — she doesn’t like to be out of my sight,” Cindy Steinhauer told MLive. Steinhauer is Peach’s dog mom and the sorority’s house director.
The 5-year-old Golden Retriever escaped less than 48 hours after Steinhauer dropped her off at her friend’s house.
“I think it was because she was trying to find me,” Steinhauer said. “You know, she didn’t see me in that house, she wasn’t familiar with that house.”
The whole campus was looking for her,” she recalled. “The frats sent their pledges out overnight to look for my dog. Every sorority and fraternity on campus was looking for (her). There were posters everywhere, people talking about her all over campus.”
Eventually, pleas for help to find the lost Peach ended up on social media sites like Nextdoor. It seemed as if the whole town was looking for the beloved dog. Parents of students even called from abroad, asking how they could aid in the search. The sorority sisters started a GoFundMe to help with the mission. Despite their efforts, the dog remained missing.
A Heartfelt Reunion Brings Tears to All
Finally, Steinhauer got a message from an Ann Arbor resident. The resident said their neighbor found a dog that might be Peach. She rushed to the residence and immediately recognized the pup.
“When I was in the driveway and I locked my car, you know it makes that little beep sound,” she said. “[Peach] was inside the house…and she started barking because she knew it was me, and I knew it was her.”
The dog immediately leaped into Steinhauer’s arms.
“The people that caught her were crying. It was just tears all around,” she said.
Peach’s four-month odyssey remains a mystery. Rescuers found the lucky pup a few miles from where she escaped last November. They discovered the terrified dog trapped in a hole near their house.
“The people (who took her in), their house backs up to these woods, and they heard a bunch of ruckus back there. The lady sent her husband back there to find out what was making so much noise.” Steinhauer described. A neighbor remembered seeing the widespread post about the lost dog on Nextdoor.
“It’s incredible,” Steinhauer said of the event. “It’s so inspiring to know that so many people were trying to help me and help her.”
Peach is now safe at home, enjoying all the perks of sorority life.
