The pandemic caused many people to become stranded in an unfamiliar place. One dog, in particular, had to travel for over 10,000 miles just to reunite with his family back in Australia.
Pipsqueak, the wiener dog, was left in South Carolina after her family was forced to travel back to Australia because of the pandemic. Little Pip was originally scheduled to come back with them, but due to Australia’s strict pet import rules, she had to be left behind.
Zoe and Guy Eilbeck, Pip’s owners, along with their sons, Cam and Max were taking a trip around the world on their 40-foot yacht when the pandemic started to spread. Luckily, Pip was left under the care of a family friend who lived in North Carolina.
Pip’s family thought that they would only leave the dog for a short amount of time. However, this proved to be a challenge. Because of the sudden amount of positive cases, they weren’t able to return for Pip.
Meanwhile, Zoe was preparing day and night the paperwork that was needed for Pip to travel back to Australia. However, due to Covid-19, air travel wasn’t an option anymore. Luckily, Melissa Young, who works for The Sparky Foundation, volunteered to fly across the country with Pip.
Later, Jetpets, an animal transport, took care of Pip and flew her from Los Angeles to Auckland. They then flew all the way to Melbourne, where Zoe’s brother was waiting for him. Virgin Australia then volunteered to fly Pip to Sydney after flights to Sydney were all canceled.
Zoe said that it was a very emotional reunion. When Pip heard their voices, she immediately ran towards them. After five long months, Pip finally arrived back home with her family. This story proves that our pets will always be part of the family, no matter how long they’ve been apart from us.
Watch Pip’s journey back home in the video below.
Source: Virgin Australia via Youtube
