Left Behind Due To COVID-19, A Tiny Dog Travels 10,000 Miles To Rejoin Her Family

Sep 11, 2020

This spring, a dachshund named Pipsqueak (a.k.a. Pip) was travelling around the world with her family — owners Zoe and Guy Eilbeck. But then the global pandemic struck and the Eilbeck family had to leave Pip and return to Australia on their own.

Luckily, folks from across the world helped Pipsqueak on her 10,600-mile journey home to Sydney.

In the middle of a global pandemic, many families were forced to take measures they never thought they would have to. Enduring some of the most challenging situations, people across the globe have dived deep into strength they never knew they had. Sometimes these problematic situations hit even the smallest members of our family hard, as well.

Our pets know nothing about what is going on in the world, yet in many cases, they became unsuspecting participants in the management of the global pandemic.

This is the case for a small dog named Pipsqueak, who found herself separated from her owners when they were no longer able to bring her into their home country of Australia. Resilient and determined, this pooch found a way to make it home to the ones she loves the most.

In a video shared by Virgin Australia, Zoe and Guy Eilbeck, along with their sons Cam and Max, explain that they set out on a sailing trip around-the-world right before the global pandemic, and its regulations, went into full force. Bringing their dog, Pip, along, this family never imagined they would have to leave one of their beloved family members in a foreign country to return home, as you'll see in the video.

When country borders started closing, the family had just 48 hours to pack up and get back to Australia, according to CNN. However, pets were strictly barred from border entry, so the Eilbeck family had to make the tough decision to leave their dog with a family friend. Expecting to be able to return to their pup soon, the family was heartbroken but reassured that the time would pass quickly.

Since their meeting in Sicily in 2018, Pip has loved life aboard a boat with her family and sailing around the world, CNN reported. When everything changed, Pip had to go live on a bison farm with some family friends while the Eilbeck's thought through how to get their beloved dog back into their arms. Unfortunately, the farm where Pip was staying could not keep her for as long as the Eilbeck's needed her to. That is when Ellen Steinberg from North Carolina stepped in, according to CNN.

Answering an ad for this desperate family, Ellen had her initial thoughts about this family who had left their dog behind. Yet, Ellen admits once she learned the circumstances they had to endure, she felt it necessary to step in and help out.

While Steinberg took Pip in, the Eilbeck family was waking at 4 A.M. every morning to get the necessary paperwork completed to get Pip home. Soon though, the Eilbeck family realized that, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, they would not be able to travel to the United States to bring Pip back home.

It appeared every avenue to get Pip back home was impossible to navigate. COVID-related restrictions were making the process more difficult than ever. Finally, the Eilbeck family found that an alternate import route through New Zealand via a pet transport company, called JetPets, would be the only option.

To make this happen, the family would have to get Pip from North Carolina to California. Once again posting an advertisement of desperation, their prayers were answered by a member of the dog rescue group, The Sparky Foundation. Member Melissa Young flew across the country to drop the little dog off in California.

Embarking on her journey to Auckland, Pip hardly knew what she was in for. Traveling over 10,000 miles, spending days in quarantine, and being handled by multiple strangers, the beloved Pip was finally reunited with her family.

Happy to have their "crew" together once more, the Eilbeck family was relieved. If you enjoyed this heartfelt story about a dog trying to get back home to its family, pass this on to others so they can see the cute encounter, too! And let us know what you think about Pip's journey!