It may feel rare to find a tight-knit community filled with people who will drop anything to help a stranger, but here’s proof they still exist!
Meagan Glesser and her father, Tom Glesser, had been to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit their summer home many times before, but they learned something new about the locals, or Yoopers, as they’re known, on a recent visit. The Florida family had just driven over the Mackinac Bridge when, suddenly, their dog Izzy leaped from the car and bolted straight into traffic on I-75.
The panicked pair quickly pulled over and called out for Izzy, but the dog was so terrified that she ran in front of an SUV and was struck by the vehicle. She then ran into the woods and disappeared from view.
For the next two days, Meagan and Tom staked out that area of the highway armed with rotisserie chickens and other yummy-smelling treats. Then, when Moore’s Lost K9 Search & Recovery shared a Facebook post with Izzy’s photo and tips to help bring her home, more than 40 Yoopers stepped up to help!
Locals from St. Ignace brought Meagan and Tom food, blankets, and other supplies while they waited for Izzy. Others kept their eyes and ears open for her – and it worked! After two days, a woman called in an Izzy sighting not far from where her family held vigil.
Using tips from the canine locators, Meagan lay on the grass so she wouldn’t startle the frightened dog. With time and some gentle coaxing, Izzy finally got close enough to be nabbed. Luckily, she jumped back into the car as if nothing had happened!
Incredibly, Izzy was unhurt after the car accident and spending two days alone in the woods. Her family took her to the vet just to be safe, though.
The kindness Meagan and Tom experienced in the Upper Peninsula is a memory they’ll never forget. Tom says he was “stunned” by the level of kindness, adding he’s never seen a community like that in all his years traveling the world as an airline and Navy pilot.
Meagan was equally blown away by how total strangers came to their aid when they needed help.
“I turned to my dad and said, ‘I really want to move here now because it’s just unheard of, this kind of support,'” said Meagan. “We’re so thankful to everyone who helped us find our dog. She’s just a dog but it was a really traumatic event that I will never forget, I learned a lot.”
Meagan and Tom plan to hold a gathering to thank their neighbors in St. Ignace for their help bringing their precious Izzy home.
Way to go, Yoopers! What a fine example to set for anyone visiting the great state of Michigan!
Share to celebrate this friendly community for helping bring Izzy back home.
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